Young Blossoms
by RedRoseWriter
Summary: The Happy Hungry Bunch is all grown up. With Yona and Hak on the throne, new adventures await for the group. A series of one-shots from the families of the Happy Hungry Bunch. Prompt: The beginning towards a mended bond starts with forgiveness.
1. The Meeting

**Hello everyone! This story contains characters from Red Dragon's Final Wish, however this is separate and you would not have to read RDFW in order to understand this story. For those that have read RDFW, as stated before, this is separate so Yona has not died. There will be additional characters not introduced in RDFW and goes into the backstory of some characters. I'll try not to give away future characters and events from RDFW. Thank you for reading!**

 **Prompt: It was a pleasant day, but of course that never lasts in Hiryuu Castle**

* * *

Rays of light that stray from the sun filter in through the open window. It floods a small pathway that leads right into the eyes of a sleeping woman. Unhappy about the intrusion of sleep, she turns over with a low humph. A deep grumble that resembled a chuckle arose from her companion. Her lavender eyes opened only to glare at the man lying beside her.

"What's so funny?" Yona muttered to her husband.

"Nothing," he refused to open his eyes and look at her.

"Hak..."

"It's nothing, go back to sleep."

"I can't go back to sleep now that you've woken me up," she huffed. She lifted her covers and slipped out of bed. Hak finally opened his eyes. He watched as Yona practically waddled around their bedroom.

Their room was large, fit for the King and Queen of Kouka. Except that it was practically bare. No exquisite decorations were strategically placed, no elegant drapes over the bed, no decorative weapons crafted by the finest blacksmiths. There were plenty of weapons in their room, from Yona's bows, to Hak's glaive, and a small collection of swords. All of them had been used in battles they had in the past. A few souvenirs from their travels were placed lazily on whatever space they had. None of them were that expensive.

"Yoon said not to move around that much," Hak sat up, eying Yona's bulging stomach. She was already nine months pregnant.

"I need to get ready for the day. I have some paperwork to fill out. Then I'm meeting with Lili before I go to the Five Tribe meeting and-"

"You're not going to that," he interrupted her.

"But I need to as-"

"Yeah, I know as Queen, but y'know there's also a King. And that's me. I'll go to the Five Tribe meeting in your place."

"But Hak-"

"No buts! I can handle it, I used to be a general," he got out of bed and walked over to her. "You need your rest. Plus Yoon will be mad at both of us if you go to that meeting instead of rest."

"I'm only pregnant, it's not that big of a deal."

"If you weren't Queen, yes. But you are and you work way too much. You're making everybody worried. So don't go to the meeting and I'll take care of everything," Yona pouted, but slowly nodded. As much as she wanted to go to the meeting, not going would mean more time with Lili. But she still really wanted to go...

* * *

"Hak's so mean..." Yona grumbled to Lili. The two sat at a table in the middle of the garden. Tea and snacks had been set out for them. Most of it was for Lili since Yona had to stick to a strict diet that Yoon set up. Her hands twitched and her mouth watered whenever she stared at some water tribe specialties the cooks made for Lili. When she reached for something not "Yoon approved" then Lili would swat her hand away. "They've all been so mean lately. I'm still the same Yona! I feel like I'm being treated like a delicate doll! I'm not! I've killed people!"

"Yona, calm down," Lili tried. She glanced over at Ayura and Tetora with a pleading glance. Unluckily the two stood near some pillars talking happily to some castle guards leaving Lili with the pregnant, exasperated queen. Yona didn't notice and glared at the doors of the throne room. The meeting was going on with Hak, the five generals, and even the four dragons.

"I'm going in there," Yona stated abruptly.

"Yona, don't. I'll call for more tea so let's talk some more."

"I'm really going to go in there."

"You'll get in trouble with Hak, Yoon, and everybody else in there."

"I don't care. I'm going in there," Yona stood up. Her eyes suddenly widened and she immediately fell back down into the chair.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I think we're going to have a change in plans..."

* * *

Hak was never too fond of the five general meetings. He read off the agenda Yona had given him. He felt more like a bad actor reading his script on stage instead of a great (heroic, glorious, and impressive he might add) King. It didn't help who his audience was. The Five Generals of Kouka and the Four Dragon Warriors. They were supposed to be some of the most highly respected warriors in all of Kouka, but instead they all looked bored.

Zeno wasn't even trying to hide his boredom. He was straight out ignoring Hak and playing with decorations in the back. When Wei, the young Sky Tribe General, wasn't falling asleep he was fiddling with some beads on a necklace. Geun-tae seemed like he was planning ways to tease Wei. Kyo-ga looked purely bored by the waste of time at the meeting. Jae-ha was straight out asleep in the back. Only Kija, Shin-ah, and Joon-gi pretended to care what Hak was saying.

His first guess that something was going to happen should have been when Shin-ah straight out got up and left the room. Instead Hak continued with his script, there were still things he didn't quite understand about Shin-ah so he just let it slide. The second should have been when Ayura slipped into the room, whispered something to the guards posted at the door and one left with her. Hak just wanted the meeting to be over with. The third guess should've been when the second guard walked over and tapped Hak on the shoulder. The guard leaned in and whispers words that Hak should've been prepared for, but he wasn't really.

"Queen Yona is giving birth," the guard whispered. The paper slipped from Hak's hands, but he didn't notice.

"What do you mean she's giving birth?!" he didn't mean to shout so loud. In fact he didn't mean to shout at all, but the words came out before he could stop them. Jae-ha and Wei immediately jolted awake, both looking wildly around. Zeno looked as if he was about to drop the statue in his hands. The rest had varying degrees of shocked faces, ranging from deathly pale Kija to frozen Joon-gi. Hak's mouth just opened and closed for a few moments before he took off out of the throne room doors.

Hak took off in a random direction. He actually had no idea where Yona was, but that wasn't on his mind right now. Too many thoughts were swirling around his head.

"Thunder Beast, where are you going?!" Hak looked down at Yoon. It didn't even immediately register with him that it was Yoon standing in front of him.

"I... Um... I... Yona... She's-"

"I know that already. Yona's this way, come on," Yoon beckoned, "geez how do you even manage to go in the complete opposite direction?!"

The second Yoon opened the doors to the room they put Yona in, Hak was by her side.

"I'm sorry for not being here quicker," that was the first thing out of his mouth. Yona stared at him for a moment before smiling.

"You were right on time."

* * *

"She's so tiny," Hak whispered. After hours of screams and loss of Hak's hand's blood circulation, a petite princess was born. She was swaddled in an abundance soft cloths. She looked as if she was about to drown in a soft wave, she almost disappeared when she sat in her father's arms.

"She's precious," Yona muttered sleepily. Hak gave a small smile to his wife. He leaned down and kissed Yona's forehead.

"Get some rest, I guess I have to introduce her to the worrying morons outside," Yona smiled. As Hak walked out, the queen closed her lavender eyes.


	2. Sunshine

**I wrote this in like a few days since I wanted to get it out on the day of the new OAD (today). I love Kaya and lately I've been playing around with the idea of if she and Zeno had a kid. This will most likely just be a one time thing.**

 **Prompt: (slight spoilers if you haven't read chapter 104 or watched OVA 2 and/or 3) When you live so long, you lose many precious things. Zeno lost his friends, his wife, and even his own child.**

* * *

Two birds nuzzled against each other. They happily chirped and stared lovingly down at their nest of eggs. It made Zeno irritated. He clutched the crest around his neck. Kaya was gone now too. People live and then they die. That was the truth Zeno had thought a long time ago. As if. He's been alive for countless years now. Ever since he drank the dragon's blood death has yet to touch him.

"Dad! Dad! Dad!" a small girl with golden rays of hair excitedly ran up to him. Her being was covered head to toe with dirt, but a large grin was painted on her face.

"Ha-yun! What happened?! You're all dirty!" Zeno tried holding back a smile.

"But I got these for you!" she held out a small bundle of slightly wilting flowers.

"For me? Thank you," he smiled and took the small flowers in his hand. Ha-yun's eyes glittered with happiness. Despite her sickness, Kaya was able to have a child shortly before she died. Said child now stood before Zeno with dirt tangled in her golden hair and happiness in the eyes she inherited from Kaya. Unlike her mother, Ha-yun was perfectly healthy and grew everyday. She didn't have Zeno's immortality. Zeno didn't even think she could inherit it.

"So where are we going today?"

"Where do you want to go?" growls erupted from the little girl's stomach. Zeno laughed as Ha-yun's face turned bright red. "Hold on," Zeno rummaged through his bag. He found an apple with a few bruises on it. "It's far from perfect, but this will have to do," Ha-yun took the apple in her hands and hungrily bit into it.

"whach virr oo eath, bab?"

"Don't talk with your mouth open. I'm not that hungry," Zeno was never hungry anymore. He never had an appetite. "But we're getting pretty low on rations. Let's go into town to restock."

"Ok!" Ha-yun grinned. He waited as she finished her apple then he took her hand in his. The two made the walk to the closest town. Out of habit, Zeno slid his hood on. It was a very small village. Zeno predicted that there'd be few stores and none of them of good quality. As they walked through, Zeno found that his prediction was correct. Only one store had any kind of food, but when the father and daughter approached, there was very little there.

Zeno bought what he could from the small inventory and what little money they had. It was only a little bit of rice and a potato. Zeno watched as Ha-yun pretended not to be disappointed, but a small pout was evident on her face. Zeno thanked the merchant before walking on.

"Maybe we'll meet a traveling merchant on the road," Zeno suggested.

"You said that yesterday," Ha-yun mumbled.

"We're traveling in a poor place right now, there's little we can do. I promise there's a nice city nearby."

"Promise?"

"I promise," Zeno smiled down at her. He wasn't watching where he was going and bumped right into a tall figure. "Ah! Sorry!"

"Hey! What's your deal?!" the man squared up. Zeno stared into the man's eyes to find them filled with fury and arrogance.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"Assaulting a soldier is a crime you know!"

"It was just an accident!" the man grabbed Zeno's collar and lifted him so they were face to face.

"I dare you to say that again," Zeno only sighed before calmly looking the man right in the eyes.

"It was only an accident. There is no need for a commotion or violence."

"Let dad go!" a small rock hurled at the man's head. The man released Zeno to rub his head in pain.

"You little-!" the man pulled a sword from its hilt. He glared menacingly down at Ha-yun. The little girl squeaked and backed away.

"Ha-yun!" Zeno leaped to his feet.

Zeno could almost see everything happen in slow motion. The man raised his sword, its soulless glint started to swoop down on its prey. Ha-yun tripped and fell back, her small, frail arms blocking her head from the sword's attack. Zeno barely felt his feet move as they rushed towards his fallen daughter. She was all he had left of Kaya. She was all he had left in life. He wouldn't be able to see Ha-yun die as well. The sword hit flesh.

It took moments for Zeno to realize what had happened. He made it in time. A frightened Ha-yun sat behind him. The man's face contorted into shock. Zeno fell backwards, of course he felt the pain. He was quite far from Hiryuu Castle so his healing would be slow. Ha-yun slowly approached her dad, tears streamed from her eyes.

"D-Dad?" her voice was soft. Zeno looked up at her and smiled.

"I'm glad you're alright," he lifted his hands and patted her on the head. Ha-yun wept into her father's cloak. Another soldier approached and started yelling at the man. Zeno ignored them and started trying to whisper comforting words to Ha-yun. The little girl was crying too much to notice.

"We're taking the body," the other soldier announced. "We'll pretend this never happened," Zeno didn't hear the man's response. However he soon felt himself being lifted up and carried. The other soldier peeled Ha-yun away from him. Zeno's daughter kicked and screamed, trying to go after Zeno, but the soldier held tightly onto her. Zeno wanted to break away as well and embrace her. But he knew he couldn't, not with the villagers watching. The soldier carried him away as Zeno watched his daughter fade into the distance.

* * *

Ha-yun huffed in annoyance at the difficult customer in front of her. She felt like slamming her head on the counter begging the woman to just pick something. Kon stood behind her, restocking the shelves. He said very little, but she knew that he was trying not to laugh.

"Hm... Those apples look good, but I need some carrots. Oh, but what about-"

"Ma'am, may I suggest our tomatoes? They were freshly picked this morning."

"Oh but I want-"

"Really ma'am, the tomatoes are our best product at the moment," the woman thought a moment.

"Very well, I'll take three tomatoes."

"Thank you very much," Ha-yun smiled. She gave the woman her tomatoes and received the money. Ha-yun put it in a small satchel before turning to the woman once again. "Thank you very much, have a nice day."

"You as well, miss," the woman walked out of the store. Ha-yun fell to her knees and rested her head on the counter.

"I didn't leave Kaeju for this!" she shouted. She felt free to do so since there were no customers. Kon burst out laughing.

"It was pretty funny."

"No it wasn't!" Ha-yun groaned. She lifted her arms to use them as a pillow. It's been years since the death of Ha-yun's dad. After he was killed, the villagers of Kaeju (the village they visited that day) took her in and raised her. Once she was eighteen she left the village to travel around. After three years of traveling, she met Kon. The two traveled together for a year before deciding to open a shop. The two would go into a town, set up shop for a few weeks, then move onto the next town. They were traveling merchants!

"C'mon, it was," Kon walked over and patted her on the head. The blonde shook his hand off. "Are you grumpy?"

"Kon, leave me alone."

"Aw, you are."

"Kon, I'm not a kid now go away," that only caused Kon to laugh more. The wooden door of their current shop suddenly flew open. Ha-yun stood up and put on a smile. Kon went back to restocking without another word. "Welcome!"

"Oh! I didn't know a nice shop like this was around!" the customer said. It was a blonde teenager with sky blue eyes.

"Feel free to look around."

"I will," a large grumble erupted from the teen's stomach. He laughed nervously. "I guess Zeno will have to be quick!"

"Zeno?" Ha-yun repeated the name.

"Yes?"

"Ah, no. I think that was my dad's name."

"Your dad?"

"He died almost sixteen years ago when I was six. I know there's no way you could be him," Ha-yun smiled sadly. "But it's funny, you look exactly like him, you even have the same medallion. Sorry for ranting. What can I help you with?" she looked up to see surprise on the customer's face.

"Ha-yun?" he gasped, then quickly covered his mouth. It was Ha-yun's turn to look surprised.

"How... Do you know my name?" the customer's jaw moved up and down like a fish out of water. They fled. "Hey!" without a second thought Ha-yun chased after him. She flung open her store door and looked wildly around. She saw the teen's receding figure through the crowd. Ha-yun followed. She could hear only the wind in her ears and she could only see the teen's cloak fluttering as he ran.

"Gotcha'!" Ha-yun grabbed the hood of the teen's cloak. She reeled him in and held tightly onto his arm and shoulder. He tried looking away from her fierce gaze. "How do you know who I am? Why did you flee? Who even are you?"

"You said your dad died, right? I can tell you the truth about his death and who I am, but it's not something I can say openly. You'll never see things the same way again. If you let me go right now, you can carry on with your life and forget we ever met. But I can't guarantee anything if you hear the truth."

"Well then, I guess that's just the price to pay. Tell me the truth," the teen sighed. He twisted himself away from her grip.

"Alright, but not here. Where's somewhere we can go where people can't find us?" he stared straight into her eyes. Ha-yun thought a moment.

"I know where to go," she stated, grabbing his arm and leading him away.

Ha-yun brought him to a small flower field outside of town. An old, great tree lay on its side in the ground. Its roots crawled up into the sky, carrying dirt with them. The teen sat on the fallen tree and patted the spot beside him. Ha-yun sat down, eying him suspiciously.

"So, where should I begin?"

"My dad's death."

"Right. What if I told you that your dad didn't die that day. The soldiers carried him off, but he was still alive and waiting for the chance to escape."

"Sound probable. So what, did he find the chance, wander around aimlessly until some woman found him? She nursed him back to health, they get married, and you're their son?"

"You... Have an active imagination don't you? No, that's far from the truth. Ha-yun-" he took a deep breath, "my name is Zeno. I'm your father."

Ha-yun stood up and walked away.

"W-Wait! I'm telling the truth!"

"You're crazy! My dad died sixteen years ago! Even if he was alive, he'd be much older than you!"

"Ha-yun, I don't age. In fact, I don't die."

"You're completely crazy. I'm leaving."

"Let me ask you this, did you ever see him eat? You didn't because I never ate, but I still lived," Ha-yun froze in her spot.

"Yeah, I mean, I never saw my dad eat, but that doesn't prove anything."

"I'll prove it right now!" Zeno lifted his arm then slammed it against the tree.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" she ran back over to him. "You're bleeding! You-" she felt the wound, realizing that there was no wound. The blood had practically disappeared. "Wha-?! But how-?"

"Did you ever hear the story of the creation myth? The one with King Hiryuu?" she slowly nodded her head. "Well the Four Dragons, what were their powers?"

"Hakuryuu was given strong claws that could tear through anything. Seiryuu was given eyes that could see far into the distance. Ryokuryuu was given legs that could fly high into the sky. And Ouryuu was given a strong body that could never be injured. Oh. Oh? Oh! You're... Ouryuu...?" Zeno nodded.

"Your old man is Ouryuu," Ha-yun slowly and uncertainly sat back on the tree.

"Ouryuu. The villagers told me that story. Some believed it to be real, but others believed it to be false."

"It's a true story, I served King Hiryuu."

"King Hiryuu... But what about that day?! You could've said that you weren't injured! You could've come back to get me!"

"Ha-yun, you're one of the few people that know of my immortality. I never even got to tell your mother before she died. I've lived for countless years now. When I healed and escaped those soldiers, I made my way back to town, thinking I would come back for you. But then I saw the villagers taking care of you and I remembered of my immortal life. You were going to grow up, get married, maybe have kids, and grow old,

"Me? I would stay like this even when you were old and wrinkly. And, well I became scared. Scared of the day you'd realize that I haven't grown. Scared of the time when you'd become older than seventeen. So, well, I ran away. I've regretted my decision countless times, but I found myself terrified to see how you had grown. Zeno is... Such a coward, isn't he?"

"Why did you think that was best for me?! I don't care that you're immortal! I don't care that I'm now older than you! I just wanted to be with you!" Ha-yun sobbed. Zeno's eyes grew wide. He wrapped his arms around his daughter. "I've missed you! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too..." Ha-yun just continued to sob. Zeno clutched his necklace in one hand and kept the other arm around Ha-yun. She cried for another hour until Zeno asked about her life. The two talked and talked until the sun was about to set.

"Hey dad?"

"Yes?"

"This won't be the last time we see each other, right?"

"Of course not. I'll try to visit you again as much as possible."

"Alright," she replied. "Hey dad?"

"Yes?"

"I love you," those simple words brought a smile to Zeno's face.

"I love you too."


	3. Hello and goodbye

**I don't really have an order I want to do these in right now so ages and stuff are gonna be a bit scattered. I might (re)organize it a bit more in the future. This one I decided to hit two birds with one stone; showing what Soo-won is doing and introducing a new character!**

 **Prompt: Simple traveler Soo-won meets a runaway girl.**

* * *

"Mister, how long will you be sitting here?" a gruff voice asked.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. I'll leave right away!" he smiled back. He tugged his hood closer to his face.

"No, it's fine. You new around here?" the man came to stand beside him.

"Yes, my friend and I travel around. We decided to stay here for a while."

"That your girlfriend?"

"No no no, he's just an old friend from where I used to live."

"I see, well welcome to the neighborhood uh..."

"Won. My name is Won," he smiled.

The country needed a strong leader. It was never Soo-won's intention to sit on the throne. However for revenge for his father's death and for all the suffering of Kouka's people, Soo-won murdered King Il and took the throne. He knew he wasn't the rightful owner. So when he built the country up, he left. Soo-won felt bad for returning the throne to Yona the way he did, however it would be best if the public believed their former king to be missing or dead.

Since he left, his life has been sort of relaxing. He traveled wherever the wind took him, and of course Joo-doh. The worries he had now mostly involved money and how to survive during their travels. That's why he and Joo-doh decided to live in a town for a little bit to earn money before traveling again.

"Well Won, welcome! Put down your hood! People are very friendly in these parts!"

"I see, thank you," Soo-won put down his hood. What was left of his once long hair was tied in a small ponytail in the back. He had cut it after leaving the castle.

"My name's Chul. So where ya from Won?"

"Um, Sky Tribe lands."

"Eh, you don't say? My daughter's living there! Her husband works in Hiryuu Castle and they send us money. I know we're not far from there, but the Sky Tribe is still pretty neat, huh?!"

"Yes... It is..."

"Well I gotta go. My other kids are probably wondering where I am. See ya around!" Chul waved goodbye. Soo-won waved back. He sighed when alone. When Chul mentioned his daughter in the sky tribe, he became nervous of being identified. Joo-doh had been weary of coming here, but Soo-won had thought it would be fine.

Soo-won decided to walk back to the house they were staying in. The town was very active. Like Chul had said, everybody seemed to be friendly. It was a prosperous town just close enough to Kuuto to get plenty of travelers. It would be perfect to start some kind of business here. Soo-won loved the happy faces that passed by him.

 _Wham!_

A heavy force knocked into him, causing him to fall over. He looked down, bewildered at what crashed into him. A teenage girl sat on his legs, rubbing her head. She wasn't looking at him at all. Instead she wearily looked behind her.

"A-Are you alright?" Soo-won asked. She turned to look at him, seemingly surprised at the other human standing there.

"Yes! I'm sorry!" she jumped off of him. She bit her lips as she looked behind her again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, standing up. The girl stood on her toes to speak softly in his ear.

"I'm being followed."

"Followed?" Soo-won't eyes widened. The girl nodded. Soo-won looked around. He grabbed the girl's wrist. "I'll help you, just follow me."

She nodded again. Soo-won casually walked her through the streets. Every once in a while the girl would look back. Once the people thinned a little, Soo-won broke out into a run. The girl stumbled a little at first, surprised by the sudden increase in speed. After that she was able to keep up with him. Soo-won brought her to his house. He pulled the girl in and slammed the door. Both of them leaned against the door, panting for breath. Joo-doh was there, clearly surprised by their sudden appearance and the mysterious girl.

"Well then, would you like some tea?" Soo-won asked calmly. The girl nodded. "Sit anywhere you like. Joo-doh, it looks like I brought home a guest!"

"I hadn't noticed," he rolled his eyes. "Who is this girl?"

"She was being followed so I helped her out."

"Um-" the girl interrupted, "my name is Da-hee. Thank you for helping me."

"It's no problem. My name is Won and the grumpy guy there is Joo-doh," Soo-won smiled, filling a kettle with water. All three of them remained silent as Soo-won prepared the tea. Da-hee was still calming down while Joo-doh was still bewildered. When the tea was ready, Soo-won carefully poured the tea into three cups. He gave the first cup to Joo-doh then to Da-hee. The young girl stared at it in bewilderment for a few seconds.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Carefully she took the cup and took small sips. Soo-won watched her for a few moments. She sat straight and poised. Long, silky black hair cascaded down her back. Her features were soft and skin extraordinarily healthy. Her blue eyes stared at the cup, unwilling to stare at the other two men. It was easy to tell she was someone of high stature.

"Are you calm now?" Soo-won asked. She placed the cup down before nodding. "What is someone of high stature doing out here?" Da-hee flinched.

"H-High stature?! Me?! I'm just someone from the city!" her voice raised a pitch.

"Won here helped you out, it'd be nice if you could tell us the truth," Joo-doh stated, staring at her. She flinched again.

"Joo-doh, you're scaring her," Soo-won said.

"I am? Sorry."

"I-It's fine. Uh, you see, I'm sort of from a high class family. I decided to run away and I guess my parents sent people to bring me back. But I don't want to go back. Not yet!"

"I see," Soo-won nodded. "So why did you run away? Are your parents that bad?"

"No! No! My parents are amazing! I... I ran away for personal reasons..." she avoided looking at the two. They were quiet for a moment. Suddenly Joo-doh stood up.

"Won, can I have a word outside?" he asked.

"Of course," Soo-won stood up. "We'll be right back."

"Alright."

The two walked outside. The second the door closes, Joo-doh's face turns.

"Soo-won, she's a noble!" he whisper yelled.

"I know, I know!"

"We could get into serious trouble if we're accused of kidnapping her! Furthermore if her parents see us, there's a chance they'll recognize us!"

"I know already!" Soo-won replied. He was probably old enough to be Da-hee's father. In other words, he was probably around her parents' age and they could recognize him as the former king. "I didn't know she was a noble when I helped her!"

"What are we going to do?!"

"I'll think of something! But if she doesn't want to go back then we can't force her! For now let's allow Da-hee stay here. She must be exhausted from running," Joo-doh sighed at Soo-won's response.

"As you wish," he grumbled, opening the door and went back inside. Soo-won followed.

"Great news! We decided you should stay here until we know you're safe!" Soo-won announced.

"Really?!" her eyes sparkled. A second later she froze. "Wait, you're not going to bring my parents here, are you?!"

"We don't even know who your parents are," Joo-doh stated, sitting down. Da-hee's excitement returned.

"Thank you so much!" she grinned.

* * *

Da-hee stayed with them for a few days. Within the first day they found that she wasn't quite competent in housework or in fact any kind of work. She spent most of her time following their instructions and learning to cook. Cooking seemed to fascinate her the most.

"So these simple ingredients can make even luxurious food?!" Da-hee asked as she watched Soo-won prepare dinner one night.

"Well it may not be luxurious, but it can make something good," Soo-won laughed.

"Interesting..."

"Do you want me to show you how? I'm not as good as Joo-doh, but I can show you the basics."

"Would you really?!"

"Of course. But you need to be careful because you can get injured while cooking."

"I will!" Da-hee smiled as Soo-won passed the knife and the half cut carrot he had been working on.

"Place this hand here... Good. Now you'll want to move it as you chop up the carrot. Hold the knife like this... Alright, now cut up the carrot. Don't make the chunks too big or else they won't cook all the way through. Good!" Da-hee seemed like a natural with food preparation. Soo-won watched her as she cut the vegetables. A strange feeling of nostalgia caused a small chuckle to escape his lips. Da-hee stopped cutting to stare at him.

"What's so funny?"

"Ah, sorry. The look of determination on your face reminded me of someone."

"Like Joo-doh?"

"Huh? What?! No! Just an old friend. We... We can't see each other anymore..."

"That's sad," Da-hee pursed her lips.

"Ah, anyways it seems you cut a lot so I'll take over from here," Soo-won took the cutting board of chopped vegetables and the knife back. He carefully slid all of the vegetables off the board and into their pot. He stirred the stew they were making and put the lid on. The two sat back as they waited for dinner to cook.

"Hey Da-hee, why did you really run away?" Soo-won suddenly asked.

"Why? I'm... Not completely sure myself. I think it was to find myself."

"Find yourself?"

"Yeah. I have an older brother and sister at home. My entire life I was fine living a life of luxury. I was never worried about the future. My brother was the heir and would take my parents' place in the future. As for my sister and I, we would marry and still live extravagantly. Then one day my sister decided to run away and travel the country."

"I see it runs in the family."

"I guess you could say that. She was gone for a few months and when she returned home, she was different. She found friends who loved and trusted her. She seemed really happy. My parents allowed her to travel the country some more with her friends and a year later she returned saying they had to go their separate ways. She still goes to visit those she can or they come to visit her. By leaving home she found something more.

"While she was traveling, I was furious with my sister. Why would she leave? If something happens to our brother, she would take over. I'm the third child! I'm the useless one! My sister and brother had things to look forward to in the future. Me? I didn't. So one day I thought, if traveling changed my sister, then perhaps it can change me. So I ran away. I have no intention of going home until I've changed! So that's my story."

"You can't suddenly see change you know," Soo-won said. "It's a slow process that you can only see once it's over. Sometimes even then you have to squint to see it."

"Yeah, I know that. That's why I'm going to stay away for as long as possible!"

"You shouldn't," Soo-won shook his head, "your parents must be worried sick about you."

"You don't know that."

"I do. As a parent, I do."

"Wha-?"

"A long time ago due to certain circumstances, I had to leave the one I loved and my child. I desperately want to go back, but sadly I can't. I still worry about them even though it's been years."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that," Da-hee looked down.

"It's fine! Anyways, I really think you should go see your parents when you're ready."

"Alright..."

"And Da-hee?"

"Yeah?"

"I've done a lot of traveling and there's not a single person I met that was useless. Including you."

"Thank you, Won."

* * *

"Won! Are you going out?" Da-hee asked. She watched Soo-won put his cloak on.

"Yes, I need to buy some food."

"Ah, well, could I come with you? I want to explore town."

"Are you sure? Even though last night Joo-doh said there've been soldiers around?"

"Yes! I've stayed inside ever since I got here. I want to go outside!"

"Very well," Soo-won removed his cloak. Da-hee watched him in confusion. A moment later the fabric swooshed around her feet. Soo-won tied the cloak around her neck and put the hood up.

"Won?"

"There are soldiers out there. You don't want to be caught if you're not ready to see your parents again," Da-hee quickly nodded in agreement. Soo-won figured it would be fine. Days before Chul had said people were friendly. He was sure the townsfolk wouldn't mind him.

The two left the house. Da-hee was like a little kid. While Soo-won was buying food, Da-hee would examine everything else at the stand and sometimes the ones next to it.

"Won! Won! Look! This is super pretty, don't you think?!" Da-hee held out a necklace.

"Ah, it is!" Soo-won smiled back.

"Oh! But look at the cups over here! Their design is so intricate!"

"Must've taken a lot of work."

"Oh! Won! This merchant has some weapons! Look at that sword's handle!"

"Very nice!" he smiled. Even with all the walking, he wasn't getting very tired. The girl's excitement somehow kept Soo-won't energy up. However their excitement was short lived. Soo-won spotted soldiers. He yanked Da-hee's arm and quickly pulled her to an alleyway. He covered her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound. When they passed he let out a sigh of relief and let go of her. "Those were definitely soldiers."

"Won... I want to head back..." Da-hee pulled on his sleeve. Soo-won gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alright," he pushed her hood to further cover her face. The two left the alleyway. Da-hee didn't let go of his sleeve as they walked through the streets. The crowd started to thin and Soo-won could no longer use the crowd as, a cover to avoid the soldiers. He walked with haste back to his house.

"Oh no," Da-hee froze in the middle of a three-way intersection.

"What's wrong?" Soo-won asked. She pointed to a group of soldiers gathered in the adjacent street. Their uniforms seemed somewhat familiar to Soo-won.

"My father., he's here," she pointed to the middle of the crowded soldiers. In the middle stood a tall man with a burly build. His hair color and eyes were just like Da-hee. No, his eyes were much more piercing. "Won, let's go," Da-hee tugged on his sleeve. Soo-won was frozen in place. "Won!" her father noticed the two standing in the street. Da-hee squeaked and hid behind Soo-won, burying her face in his clothes. Soo-won was still frozen. Even from far away, he could see the swirl of emotions in her father's eyes. Almost in a trance, her father walked over to Soo-won, ignoring the protests from the soldiers. He now stood in front of Soo-won. There was no denying who it was.

Hak.

"You... You are..." Hak stared in disbelief at Soo-won. "Why are you-?"

"Um," Soo-won coughed, quickly glancing at what he could see of Da-hee, "I think you have the wrong person."

"Oh! You're probably right!" Hak gave a strained laugh. Soo-won could feel Da-he's flinch behind him. "I'm sorry, the person I was thinking of has been gone for years!"

"I see," Soo-won returned with an equally strained laugh. "Sorry for the misunderstanding, I'll be on my way-"

"Hold it. Who's that behind you?" Hak turned his attention to the hidden Da-hee. She flinched again.

"Ah, just a friend. They're a bit shy so I was escorting them home."

"I see, well have a nice day," Hak gave a nod.

"Thank you," Soo-won returned the nod. Even though he could barely feel his legs, he started walking away. However Da-hee didn't move. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Won..." her voice was soft, not reaching the ears of the leaving Hak. Soo-won had to move closer to hear her. "Thank you for everything. Joo-doh too. I... Had lots of fun this week. I think I'm ready now," she showed him a wide smile. She stepped forward, taking off her hood. "Wait! Father!" Hak froze and turned around.

"Da-hee?!" his eyes were filled with joy. However he looked between Da-hee and Soo-won and his eyes turned dark. "You! What did you do to her?!"

Soo-won found no words. Just like that time in Sensui, he was completely frozen in place. No words, no movement in front of the enraged Thunder Beast. Da-hee sensed the heavy resentment towards Soo-won and put herself between the two men.

"He didn't do anything!"

"Da-hee! Stay away from him!"

"Father! He helped me when I needed it!"

"But-!"

"Father! I'm right here! I'm alright!" she screamed at him. Hak stared into Da-hee's blazing, blue eyes. Those tense seconds ticked on like years. Soon Hak took a deep breath, releasing all tension within his body. "It's alright, I'm alright," she repeated in a more gentle tone. Hak enveloped her in a tight hug. "Fath-"

"We are so worried," he croaked. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry father!" Da-hee cried. She held tightly onto his robes. A sad smile crept onto Soo-won's lips. Hak let go of Da-hee and bowed to Soo-won. A few soldiers behind them whispered to each other in surprise.

"Thank you for helping my daughter. And I'm sorry for the misunderstanding," Hak formally said.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry, King Hak," Da-hee perked up a bit.

"How did you know?" she asked. Soo-won bit his lip, looking at Hak.

"Those are palace soldiers. You said your family was from a high class and palace soldiers wouldn't be searching for a regular noble," Soo-won explained, telling half of the truth.

"Oh! Then Won, you should come to the palace sometime!" Hak stared at Da-hee in disbelief.

"Da-hee, that's not a good idea," he stated.

"Huh?! But I haven't properly given my thanks!"

"If I'm ever in the area, I'll drop by," Soo-won quickly replied. He exchanged looks with Hak. The latter looked away, deciding to stare at his daughter instead.

"We'll discuss this more later. For now, let's go home, your mother is worried sick."

"Alright. Goodbye Won!" Da-hee waved.

"Goodbye Da-hee," Soo-won smiled. "And King Hak? Are you and Queen Yona happy?" Hak looked taken aback for a moment.

"Yes," he replied promptly.

"I see. Then goodbye King Hak."

"Goodbye Won."

Both turned around and walked away. Neither looked back at the other party.


	4. Village with no villagers

**I have a small writers' block Q^Q I wanted to introduce more characters before posting this one, but I got stuck finishing their stories. This was the first story that I wrote for this so it's a little shorter than the previous two chapters.**

 **Prompt: Yoon just needed to find some herbs, but instead he finds himself in a village with no villagers.**

* * *

Small puffs of white slowly climbed into the air. Yoon stared up at the sky, it was a clear, fall morning. His frigid fingers prevented him from reading the map correctly. He had only left Hiryuu Castle a day ago in a last minute herb hunting expedition. Of course he was doing this alone since he feared the others would get in the way or draw too much attention to themselves. It wasn't those early days anymore when most of them could walk through towns with little worries of being recognized.

The enticing aroma of food wafted through the air. Having not eaten for hours, a loud grumble erupted from his stomach. Yoon rolled up his map and tucked it into his bag. Taking a break to eat didn't sound bad at all. He followed the smell and reached a small restaurant. He opened the door and much to his surprise it was empty.

"Hello?" Yoon called, but all he got back was an echo. He waited a moment before turning back. They probably weren't open.

"Oh! Yes! Hello! Just a minute!" a voice called back. Yoon didn't leave. Instead he listened as various pots and pans clanged together from the back. A girl burst out of the back, hopping on one foot, trying to regain some balance. When she found sufficient balance, she put her other foot down and pushed falling locks of hair back behind her ears. "Welcome!" she smiled. She looked Yoon up and down. "Oh! I've never seen you before! Are you a traveler?"

"Sort of," Yoon replied.

"I see! Sit anywhere you like! I'll grab some tea," she ran back into the back. Yoon sighed, slightly regretting his decision to come here. He found a seat towards the back of the store, near where the waitress disappeared to. He drummed his fingers on the table as he waited. Eventually she came back holding a tea pot and cup. She poured him a cup, neither exchanging words. When she was finished she placed the pot to the side. "What would you like to eat?"

"Just some vegetable stew would be fine."

"Alright!" she disappeared again.

Yoon was alone. He didn't mind, but this whole situation was starting to creep him out. No customers came in nor did any other workers. It was quiet. In fact, Yoon hadn't seen anybody in town at all. As he waited, he started marking places on his map he needed to visit. Hiryuu Castle was a little more than a day's walk away. Ik-su's place was a few days from there. Perhaps he should've asked Zeno, Thunder Beast, or Jae-ha to teach him to ride a horse. The trip would be a lot faster and he probably wouldn't need to stop like he was.

His thoughts were interrupted when the waitress came back in. She was holding a steaming bowl of stew. She places it in front of him.

"Here you go!" she smiled. Yoon took one sip and almost spat it out. It was unbelievable awful. None of the vegetables were properly cut so they didn't cook well, there were too many seasonings, and for some reason there was the taste of fish. "I see, so it tastes bad..." the waitress said dejectedly. Yoon hadn't realized he was making a face. "I'm really sorry, I'm not good at cooking."

"You cooked this? Don't you have a cook?!"

"We do... But he's not here..."

"Not here? That reminds me, where are all the other villagers? The town's been silent since I got here."

"Illness. All of our workers are sick except for me. In fact, I'm only part of a handful of villagers who aren't sick. Normally we're a thriving town, but because of the outbreak merchants temporarily stopped coming. I don't think it's anything serious though!" Yoon thought a moment.

"Have any doctors come around?" the waitress shakes her head.

"They're all in Kuuto. There was an outbreak there too," she explains. Yoon shuddered remembering how palace guards and workers would drop ill. Then the chaos that ensued after Princess Da-hee caught it.

"If it's the same illness then it should be curable. Where are the sick people being held? I'll take care of them."

"Traveler, are you a doctor?" she gasped in excitement.

"I guess you could say that," Yoon got up.

"I'll bring you there right now! Nobody's here anyways," the waitress smiled. She grabbed Yoon's arm and started pulling him out of the restaurant. She pulled him across the village and to a house. "Most of the sick are in here. We converted an old house into a makeshift clinic," she explained. She opened the door. The smell of sickness was overwhelming. It wasn't as bad as the Fire Tribe years ago, but it still caught Yoon off guard. He walked over to the closest person and started examining them. A moment later he dug through his bag and pulled out a mortar and pestle. He started pulling out an assortment of herbs and concoctions and started mixing and crushing them.

"Drink a little bit of this for now," Yoon lifted the person's head and raising a bowl to their lips. They were obedient and took a sip from his concoction. Yoon placed their head back down and moved onto the next person. The waitress followed him curiously while explaining his status as a doctor to others. "I won't be able to help everybody with the supplies that I have on-hand," he stated. "I'll work with what I have now before heading back to my home and enlisting help from other doctors. Make sure to do the laundry quickly so that the illness doesn't spread. I'll be back within a few days."

"What you're doing is fine traveler. Thank you," the waitress smiled. "And don't worry about paying for your meal, I know it was terrible. I'll try to get better."

"It could have been worse," Yoon shrugged, turning his attention back to his new patient.

Later that day Yoon left the village and headed back to Hiryuu Castle. He forgot all about the herb he had wanted. When he got back to Hiryuu Castle, the first person he talked to was Yona. She was more than willing to send doctors and help over to the small village Yoon had visited and even the villages around that one. She almost went herself, but Yoon forbade her to because of her workload.

Weeks later they got word that nearly the entire was village was recovering. With that message, Yoon didn't worry about the village. He continued his work in Hiryuu Castle, completely forgetting about the tiny village.


	5. Village with no Villagers part 2

**Yay! Finally finished some of these stories! I can post part 2 of Village with no Villagers early.**

 **Prompt: Being a pretty boy genius is hard work and sometimes you just need a break, or two, or three, or a lot.**

* * *

Yoon stretched his back. He instantly felt those sore spots dissipating. A yawn escaped his lips and he wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Still doing work?" he looked up at the smiling face of the waitress. She was the same one he had met when the villagers were ill. Yoon was happy to report that everybody had recovered and the quiet town was bustling with life. Even the small restaurant was often packed with customers and workers that ran around.

"Yeah," he replied, moving his hand to cover up some words on the parchments in front of him. They were important documents and paperwork he should probably be filling out in Hiryuu Castle and not some small restaurant.

"Do you ever stop working?" she smiled jokingly.

"Do you?" he stared at her with uninterest. She looked away.

"I'll get you something to eat," she replied quickly before leaving him.

The village's illness was only a few months ago. And admittedly during that time Yoon forgot all about it. Once winter passed and spring came again, Yoon went on the hunt for the herb he missed last fall. Of course he passed through the village and was astonished by how well it had recovered. He found the restaurant again and met the beaming face of the waitress he had met that day. Ever since then he makes constant visits to the village and sometimes brings his work with him.

The waitress placed a small platter of meat buns in front of Yoon. He rolled up his work before taking a bite of the buns.

"Traveler, I've been meaning to ask, what exactly is your job? You said you travel, but you often come back here and sometimes with papers," she asked. Yoon thought of the best way to answer this.

"I work in Hiryuu Castle," he stated.

"Hiryuu Castle? It must be tough coming to and from here."

"Not really. I learned how to ride a horse so it only takes a few hours to get here."

"A horse? That's neat! How did you learn?"

"One of my friends showed me. Being a pretty boy genius allowed me to pick it up pretty quickly."

"You're lucky, I'm not that quick when learning things," she said. "What's Hiry-"

"Hey miss!" someone called.

"Coming!" she called back and ran to the waiting customer. Yoon sighed and turned back to his work. There was no rest for the weary.

* * *

Hot breath blew away locks of hair from his face. Yoon patted the side of his horse as he walked by. Its high-pitched whine filled the stall, causing Yoon to flinch a little. He picked up his pile of things from the straw covered floor. Leaving the stall, he found himself in the mild gold of the afternoon sunlight. He blinked a little as gleams emanating from the sun temporarily blinded him.

It's been a couple of weeks since he was last here. The village had continued its perpetual daily rhythm without him around. His feet easily moved through the village, winding their way to the small restaurant he always visited. He stepped in, embracing the inviting aroma he had begun to miss.

"Oh, traveler. It's been a while," a pleasing voice called. He met the gentle eyes of the usual waitress who he talked to.

"Hi, it sure has," he replied.

"Sit anywhere you like, I'll grab you some tea," she smiled a bit. She sluggishly moved to the kitchen. Yoon looked around, pleased to find it not very busy. He made his way to his usual spot in the back. The waitress appeared minutes after he sat down. She slowly poured him a cup of tea. "You haven't been around lately, so I was starting to get worried."

"Ah, sorry about that. I got stuck in my work," he replied.

"I see. Are you ready to order? Today's specials are-"

She didn't finish her sentence. It happened fast, but it felt almost like time had slowed just for Yoon. Her hair fluttered in the air as it plummeted to the ground. The horrifying echo of the teapot bursting into dozens of pieces resonated through the entire restaurant. Yoon barely felt himself rushing to her side, cradling her head in his arms before it rammed into the ground. Other waitresses and customers rushed to them.

There was a reason why Yoon was Yona's advisor. Other than being a trusted friend and genius, in situations like these he could react quickly. Before he had a moment to think, he was barking orders.

"Give her some room! Somebody set up a place to put her in the back! And somebody help me carry her there!" the crowd shuffled backwards, a few waitresses got his message and ran into the back. A few moments later one of the waitresses reappears. The two carry her into the back and to where a cloth has been set down and a sack of rice as an improvised pillow. The two lay her down. "I'm going to grab my stuff. Somebody grab some water," he says before leaving the back. He grabbed his things and turned to the small crowd. "She only fainted, she'll be fine in a little bit."

He goes back into the back and to her side. He starts taking out various items from his bag. While he was doing this, she opened her eyes.

"Huh? Where...? I can't..."

"You fainted," Yoon stated. He started peeling an orange.

"I did? I'll get back to work and-"

"No," he stated bluntly, putting a firm hand on her shoulder to prevent her from sitting up. "You need to rest. Besides, I bet you can barely move right now."

"I can."

"Prove it," she only stared back at him. "Told you," he finished peeling the orange, he took a slice and put it in her mouth. "The juice from the orange will help bring your strength back and eating something will help too. When you finish that I'll give you some water."

Yoon watched as she slowly maneuvered the orange slice from her lips into her mouth. When she swallowed, he rose the cup of water to her lips, allowing her to drink. He then set it aside and started digging through his bag some more.

"Hey traveler, thank you," she said quietly.

"What else was I supposed to do? You fainted."

"I mean thank you for everything you've done so far. I still don't even know your name."

"It's Yoon."

"Yoon... That's easy to remember. Mine is Jang-mi."

"Nice to finally know your name. Now you need to rest."

"But I have to work."

"No, you need rest. It'll be disastrous if you faint again. So rest for the remainder of the day."

"But-"

"I'm the one who knows what to do. I'll get you something more to eat, but you really need to trust me and get some rest."

"You're mean..." she mumbled, finding no more strength to argue.

"Yeah, I know," he replied. He started fanning her using papers he had. Before long Jang-mi's eyes closed and she fell into a peaceful slumber. Yoon got up and tapped a waitress on the shoulder. "Why is she so adamant about working?"

"Jang-mi? She needs the money. She's always talking about her large family so I guess she supports them."

"Oh," he glanced back at the resting girl. "Hey, since she's out I'll work in her place."

"You? Why?"

"Because I think Jang-mi fainted from exhaustion. If she hasn't stopped working because her family needs money then I can work for her and give all the money to her."

"I don't know..."

"I'm a pretty boy genius, I can do everything from cooking to cleaning."

"I see. I'll see what you can do, wait here," she says and rushes further into the kitchen. Yoon goes back to Jang-mi.

"Don't worry about a thing," he smiled, brushing a few locks of hair from her forehead.

"Sir! I know what you can do!"

* * *

"Yoon! Hey Yoon!" delicate hands shook his shoulders. Yoon lifts his head, looking around. He was in his office. He must've fallen asleep. He then turns to look at his waker. Bemused, forest eyes stare back at him, soft lips lifted into a smile. "What were you dreaming about?"

"You," Yoon stretched his back and turned around.

"Me? What about me?"

"Just how we met and when I learned your name,"

"That was a long time ago! Back when I called you traveler!" Jang-mi laughed.

"Yeah..."

"I brought tea and the kitchen staff made snacks," she gestured to a tray on his desk.

"Huh? You didn't have to."

"Of course I had to. I have a husband who spends more time studying than taking care of himself."

"And I have a wife who works more than taking care of herself," Jang-mi laughed in response.

"Do you ever stop working?" she smiled jokingly.

"Do you?" Yoon smiled back.


	6. Untold story

**Prompt: (chapter 135 spoilers) story time! A curious prince listens to the story of how a servant got his bad injury.**

 **A little while ago I thought "what if Min-soo is alive?" and I was starting to write a story about his miraculous survival and him taking a journey to find Yona and Hak, but then the new chapter came out less than a week later and turns out Min-soo really is alive! So I wrote this instead.**

* * *

Oftentimes when you see the Queen and King walking around Hiryuu Castle, you'll see them surrounded by a plethora of servants. While the servants around them are constantly changing, two will stay close by.

One of them is Yoon, lecturing the Queen and King about not doing their work or trying to run away The second one is always a pace or two behind. His movements are slow and stiff. Every once in a while the Queen or King will stop to allow him to catch up. His name is Min-soo.

"Da-hee! Come back here!" Prince Jin-ho chased after his little sister. Despite his recent training with his father and older sister, Princess Da-hee had inherited their father's natural athletic abilities and speed making her much faster than him. Da-hee stopped at a corner, turned around, and stuck out her tongue. Her chubby seven year old hands waved around the dagger Gramps had given him and she had stolen.

"If she ever bothered training, she'd be better than father," Jin-ho muttered under his breath. In that moment, she rounded the corner and disappeared. Jin-ho chased after her, rounding the corner he found himself colliding with an unexpected wall. The clattering of scrolls and other papers echoed through the halls. Jin-ho rubbed his sore head that had collided with the ground. He looked up to see what he had run into.

He found the troubled eyes of his parents' favorite servant, Min-soo. As always, his movements were slow and stiff as he picked up the scrolls.

"Um! I'm sorry!" Jin-ho started collecting the scrolls and papers.

"No, it's fine," Min-soo smiled.

"Thank you for helping me, prince," Min-soo smiled once again, taking the scrolls and papers from Jin-ho's arms and balanced them back on a tray.

"Oh! It's no problem!" Jin-ho peered around Min-soo. Da-hee was long gone by now. Perhaps Uncle Shin-ah would help him look for her later. Min-soo started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"No, it's just, you remind me of your parents when they were around your age."

"My age?"

"Yes, although I didn't quite meet them until we were a little older."

"How did you know them?"

"I was an attendant of King Il, your grandfather. Because your father was your mother's bodyguard, all of us spent a lot of time together."

"Ooh! Is that why you're so close to mother and father?" Min-soo nodded.

"Speaking of that, I need to get these scrolls over to them. Good luck, prince," Min-soo nodded and turned the corner. Jin-ho cocked his head at the last comment before realizing why he had been running.

"Ah! Da-hee!" he shouted before running down the hall.

* * *

"Did you and mother know Min-soo when you were younger?" Jin-ho sat in the dirt on the training grounds. His dagger was safely procured from Da-hee and say in his belt. He watched as Hak trained palace soldiers.

"Yeah. We've been friends for quite a while," Hak explained before telling a soldier what he was doing wrong.

"Was he always so stiff?"

"Stiff?"

"Like his movements."

"No, not always. He sustained a really bad injury years ago. It bothers him to this day."

"How did he get the injury?" Jin-ho asked. It was impossible to miss his father's flinch and a soldier nearly landing a blow. Hak blocked at the last second and forced the soldier's sword from his hands. Hak sighed and motioned for the next soldier to hold off. He walked over and kneeled in front of his son.

"It's a long and painful story. We... Your mother and I... We thought Min-soo had died. Those, those weren't pleasant memories for any of us."

"But that doesn't-"

"Look, let's not talk about it now. I'll try to tell you another time, alright?"

"You always say that."

"Alright?" Hak asked a little more assertive this time.

"Fine," Jin-ho begrudgingly agreed. Hak ruffled his hair.

"Good. I've gotta resume training now so we'll talk later," he walked back to his spot and signaled for practice to start the training again. Unsatisfied with the answer, Jin-ho got up and left the training grounds. He stomped through the castle. If his father wouldn't say anything it was doubtful his mother would either. The dragons nor Yoon probably didn't know the story.

"What's wrong, Prince Jin-ho?" Jin-ho looked up to see Min-soo himself. "Did you and Princess Da-hee get into a fight again?"

"No, it's not Da-hee..."

"Do you want me to find your parents?"

"No! They won't help..."

"What's wrong?"

"Um... How did you get your bad injury?"

"Injury? Oh, the one on my back," Min-soo instinctively put a hand over the wound. "It's a long story."

"Nobody will tell me..." Min-soo thought a moment.

"Follow me," Min-soo gestured for him to follow. He brought the prince near the front gates. He looked around real quickly. "Wait here," Min-soo said, walking backwards then walking away. Jin-ho sat on the ground. He started drawing shapes in the dirt as he waited. Min-soo came back holding a large, beige cloth.

"It was late at night," Min-soo started his story, "right in this spot. The palace was crawling with enemies. King Hak, Queen Yona, and I were the only ones aware of the situation. The exit was guarded by two armed guards," Min-soo pointed to the two guards currently posted at the entrance to Hiryuu Castle. "Archers lined the walls and rooftops!" Min-soo pointed to the walls. Only a small handful of guards patrolled. "How would we allow Queen Yona to escape?"

"How?" Jin-ho asked. Min-soo smiled.

"Well I donned her elegant coat!" Min-soo put the cloth over his head. "After a promise to catch up, I ran!" he started running as best he could across the courtyard. Jin-ho easily caught up and jogged beside him. "The archers got their bows ready... And shot! Ugh!" Min-soo fell to the ground as if shot in the back. "I saw my life flash before my eyes. Would I ever see Queen Yona and King Hak again?"

"What happened? What happened?!"

"Well King Hak was able to get Queen Yona to safety," Min-soo sat up, sliding the cloth off his head, "and I lay dying in the ground. Then someone found me and brought me to the clinic. I didn't wake up until many days later. That's when I did I heard a rumor that they had died. However, that was far from the truth. Your mother went on a perilous journey to find the Four Dragon Warriors, your uncles. I resumed work in the palace, believing they were dead. It wasn't until months later that I got reunited with your parents."

"Woah," Jin-ho was in awe. "What did you think when you saw mother and father again?"

"I was happy to hear of their survival and both of them had changed quite a bit. However the circumstances of our meeting were very... Bad. There was a lot going on and I don't know a lot of the details."

"Ooh!"

"I was definitely happy when your mother took the throne. When she was fifteen, I never would have thought that she would become the ruler she is today."

"Is that supposed to be an insult, Min-soo?" Yona walked over from behind.

"Mother!" Jin-ho jumped up. Min-soo laughed and slowly got off the ground.

"No, it's sort of a compliment."

"Sort of?"


	7. Naptime

**This was originally inspired by a cute picture I saw a while ago, but I don't remember the artist. I actually had lots of fun writing this!**

 **Prompt: A beautiful day only calls for one thing. A well deserved nap.**

* * *

"I said out!" Yona demanded. Surprisingly she was able to push him out of the room entirely and into the hall. She stuck her tongue out at him before slamming the door shut. Hak stood there for a few minutes staring out at the courtyard and processing what happened. Apparently him just being there was messing up her meeting with Wind Tribe representatives General Tae-woo, Mundock, and Tae-yeon. Coming from inside he could hear Yona apologizing, Mundock's annoyed mutterings, and Tae-yeon trying to calm both of them down.

"Traitors," he muttered. He glared one final time at the door and decided to pounce on them when they left. With nothing to do, Hak decided to stroll around the castle. He stopped by Yoon's office and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Yoon called from inside. Hak opened the door.

"Yo! Yoon!" he called. Yoon looked up from the scrolls scattered around his desk.

"Thunder Beast? Don't you have a meeting with your tribe?" he asked.

"Yeah... Yona kicked me out cause apparently I was disturbing the meeting by fighting with Gramps."

"I see. So why are you here now? I'm really busy you know."

"Oh, I'll make this quick. Are any of the dragons around?"

"I don't think so. Jae-ha's bringing Jin-jun to a festival, Zeno went into town for the day, and Shin-ah and Kija went to deal with a conflict on the Kai border."

"Ah, I see," even though they annoyed him like hell sometimes, Hak was very disappointed none of the dragons were around. "Sorry for disturbing you. See ya later," Hak closed the door. He wandered around the halls for a little while. It seemed there was nobody around and nothing to do.

After a while Hak ended up leaning against a railing and staring out into the courtyard. At least it was a beautiful day. Finally Hak decided to do something he hadn't done since his days as a general. Take a nap. Of course he had taken naps after he stopped being a general and before he became king, but those didn't count since they were always because he had guard duty the night before.

He made his way to the courtyard. After walking around for a little while, he found a nice spot underneath a tree. He lied down in the soft, green grass, using his arms as a pillow. He didn't care about his fancy clothes nor stature at the moment. He was just grateful for the peace and quiet. Soon his eyelids became too heavy to keep open. The faint lullaby of the rusting trees and chirping birds brought him to sleep.

Hak was suddenly awoken by a large object barreling into his stomach and chest.

"Oof! What the-?!" Hak opened his eyes, rubbing them to clear his sleepiness a little bit. He found large, violet eyes staring back at him. "Yo... na...? he asked softly. His vision cleared more to see that it was in fact not Yona who sat on his chest. His own son, Jin-ho, who sat there. Hak chuckled a little bit and ruffled his son's dark hair. "What's up lil' man?"

"Why are you under the tree?" Jin-ho asked.

"I'm taking a nap," Hak replied. Jin-ho's nose wrinkled in disgust.

"I hate naps. The maids make me take them all the time. I'm too old for naps!"

"Oh?" Hak asked, amused by his five year old's declaration. "You're never too old for naps, kiddo."

"Well I am!" Jin-ho crossed his arms. Hak chuckled.

"Where are your sisters?"

"Closer to the guards and maids."

"Well why don't you bring them over here? It'll be a little rendezvous."

"Ra-Ra-Ran-?"

"A meeting. Now go on," Hak gave Jin-ho a little push. The prince got off of him and scurried away to the other end of the courtyard. Hak took a deep breath, finally able to breathe properly again. It was a few minutes before he heard the chatter of his two eldest children.

"He's here! Father is really over here!"

"Jin-ho, I really don't want to play this game," he heard his eldest say.

"Look! Look!" he assumed Jin-ho was pointing at him.

"Father!" his eldest ran over.

"Hey poppy flower," he cracked an eye open. It was just in time to see his three-year old, Da-hee, trip and fall. The second her face hit the ground she burst out into tears. With a sigh he got up, walked over, and picked her up. He sat cross-legged on the ground rubbing her back and saying comforting words. He saw the maids across the courtyard about to rush over, but Hak gave them a shake of the head and a dismissive wave. The two maids understood his message and left the courtyard giggling and talking to each other in hushed voices.

Once she had calmed down enough, Hak held her at arm's length.

"See? There's nothing to worry about! You've got the blood of two strong warriors running through you!" He threw her up in the air then safely caught her. This was enough to make Da-hee giggle and laugh. "That's my little warrior!" Hak layed back down on the ground, holding Da-hee in his arms.

"Dad! Again! Again!" Da-hee chanted.

"Nah, another time sweetheart. Dad wants to rest right now," he said. Da-hee looked disappointed.

"Then why did you call us over?" his eldest asked.

"Is it wrong that I want to spend time with my kids?" Hak laughed. "It's a beautiful day out! And on these beautiful days the best thing to do is take a nice nap outside surrounded by people you love."

"But I hate naps," Jin-ho stated.

"Then... You have the highest honor of guarding the King and princesses."

"Guarding?" Hak nodded and Jin-ho's face lit up. "I'll do my best father!" Jin-ho saluted. He sat on the ground glaring out into the courtyard.

"I leave that to you, young soldier," Hak laughed.

"But I don't wanna to take a nap," the eldest complained.

"No naps!" Da-hee struggled against Hak's grip. "Play with us dad! Play with us!"

"Like I said, Dad wants to rest. Just stay with me for a little longer. I'll play with you afterwards," Hak closed his eyes.

He felt his eldest lean against him and heard her periodically picking at the grass and flowers within her reach. Da-hee tried struggling against his grip again, but Hak knew the second he let go she would flee. After a while she gave up and rested her head on his chest. Moments after she did, he heard a small yawn escape her lips and her head snuggling into his robes. Soon her breathing became rhythmic and she made little movement. Hak's grip on her loosened a bit, but she made no sudden moves to finally escape her imprisonment. Hak concluded that she actually fell asleep.

Usually when he napped, Hak wasn't actually asleep. He just closed his eyes, listening to the gossip of servants and guards who believed he was asleep. The shut eye would restore his strength and fill him in on what palace workers thought of him, King Il, and Yona. However today felt different. The chatter of palace workers couldn't be heard very well in his corner of the courtyard. Furthermore, the warmth and company emanating from his children were more than comforting. Eventually Hak found himself being lulled completely to sleep. He barely remembered why he was pushed to come to the courtyard in the first place. For the first time in a long time he felt completely peaceful.

When Hak finally awoke from his comatose, the sky was no long the pristine blue it was when he fell asleep. It was replaced by a painting of reds, oranges, and yellows. Hak groaned and rubbed his eyes. He felt numb. He couldn't feel his legs nor the arm that wasn't holding Da-hee. He looked to his numb arm and found his eldest sleeping there. As for his legs, they were being used as a pillow for Jin-ho. What surprised him the most was the presence of a large blanket covering him, Da-hee, and his eldest. Jin-ho rested on top of the blanket, but was curled up in his own, personal one.

Carefully, Hak maneuvered his arm as to not wake his eldest. When his arm was free, she shifted and took more of the blanket. With his newly freed arm, Hak was able to sit up. However his vision became clouded with slivers of green.

"What the-?!" Hak felt his head, realizing a pile of grass and flowers lay upon it. He tried brushing off as much grass as he could. As he did so, a small giggle caught his attention. He looked toward the tree where the giggle came from. Sitting there, with a book in her lap and a smile on her face, was Yona.

"Morning sleepy head," Yona greeted.

"Yona? But what about your meeting?" he asked quietly, as to not wake his children.

"It ended hours ago. I went looking for you, but couldn't find you. The children's maids told me you were here. Of course, I didn't expect to find such an adorable scene," she giggled again. "You know you're lucky everybody is busy or else this would've been held above your head for the rest of your life."

"Yeah, yeah, droopy eyes would have a ball if he saw."

"Anyways, it's just about dinner time. Yoon and Zeno will be worried if we miss it."

"Yeah well it's not like I can move or anything," Yona laughed. She came over and took Da-hee from his arms. The little girl struggled in her sleep a little bit, but soon found a comfortable cushion on her mother's shoulder. "Up you go sleepy cub," Hak grabbed Jin-ho and propped him up on the nook of his arm, "and you too lil' dragon," he did the same with his eldest, propping her on his other arm. Yona grabbed the blankets and followed Hak through the courtyard. They got to the halls of the palace and walked to the wing their children's bedrooms were in.

"By the way, Hak," Yona started, "what's been with you and nicknames lately?"

"Well you'd probably get mad if I called them my usual insults so..." Hak replied, feigning ignorance. Yona nudged him. "Hey! Sleeping cargo here!"

"Really, tell me the truth."

"There's no real reason for it. The names just kind of slip out? Without a moment's thought of who's around, I just say them."

"Oh? That's so unlike you."

"Are you jealous? Because I can give you a nickname too."

"Not particularly, but let's see what you think up."

"Hm... Princess?"

"But I'm Queen now."

"Then... Master? Airhead? Darling?"

"You're really not trying hard, are you?"

"Well, I guess it's because I like calling you Yona," Hak replied. Yona's face turned as red as her hair. She lightly punched Hak's arm. "What did I say about the cargo?!"

"Me too..."

"What?"

"Me too... I... I like calling you Hak," she blushed, looking away. Hak broke out into a laugh. "H-Hak! It's not that funny!"

"No... It's just... You haven't changed a bit! You're still the Yona that I love."

"I wish you changed a little bit. No, saying you haven't already is inaccurate," she walked ahead of him a little bit. Hak questioned what she meant, but he felt he already knew the answer. The two brought their children to their respective bedrooms before reconvening in the hall. The couple walk together through the palace towards the dinning room.

"Hey Yona?"

"Yeah?"

"I take back my earlier statement. You've definitely changed."

"I know. I'm not that airhead princess anymore who only cared about her appearance."

"There's that, but that's not what I was talking about."

"What do you mea-" her sentence was cut off when Hak planted a kiss on her lips. When they separated, Yona stared into his eyes for a few moments. They were only a few centimeters apart and she loved seeing every detail of his face.

"Let's go before Yoon gets mad," he said, walking off as if nothing happened. Yona's face turned red with a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"Hak! What did you mean?! Hey Hak! Come back here! I'm the queen you know! Hak!"


	8. Songbird's Melody

**Prompt:** **The youngest members of the Son family meet a new friend.**

 **I feel like every next gen story (no matter the series) has one set of twins. I originally wasn't going to create twins, but then I came up with a story. This was only supposed to be a small part, but it turned in a story of its own so the main one will be posted later.**

* * *

"I name this one, you get to name that one," Yona declared.

"Then... This is Jia," Hak responded, taking the larger one in his arms. "Yeah, her name is Jia," he repeated.

"Hm..." Yona stared long and hard at the other one. "Ryuuji. Even though he's small now, I'm sure he'll grow up strong."

"So it's twins Jia and Ryuuji," Hak smiled.

Yona had been thought of as getting too old to have children anymore. She had three children and her career as Queen kept her busy. However a surprise hit the palace. Queen Yona was expecting again! At the end of her pregnancy she gave birth to two infants. A black haired and purple eyed girl named Jia and a dark red haired and purple eyed boy named Ryuuji. They became Queen Yona's fourth and fifth children.

From the moment they were born, Jia and Ryuuji were inseparable. They did everything together; sleep, eat, dress, play. While their older siblings sometimes fought, Jia and Ryuuji never did. At five years old, Jia was the adorable princess that could charm anybody while, despite his small stature, Ryuuji was the amiable prince that looked out for his sister.

"Ryuuji! Ryuuji!" Jia called for her twin. Her brand new blue dress was smothered in dirt. Even at her young age, Jia never liked to be dirty. She would ask the maids to brush her long, black hair at least three times a day. Oftentimes she would sneak into their older sisters' rooms and take accessories and sometimes dresses she found pretty. Of course it always got them in trouble.

"Jia! You're dirty! What happened?!" Ryuuji ran over. Despite the dirt, she had a grin on her face.

"You need to see this! Come on!"

"B-But I was going to watch Dad and brother train!"

"You can do that later!" she grabbed his hand. Jia practically dragged him to the destination. She brought him to two bushes in the garden. Parting them, she revealed a little bird that sat among a pile of leaves, flowers, and twigs.

"A bird?" Jin-ho asked, squatting down to get a better look.

"I was picking flowers in the garden when I heard a chirping. I found it laying here by itself so I made it a bed."

"But... Why doesn't it just, fly away?" Ryuuji reached out a hand to pet its head. Surprisingly the bird didn't flee.

"I don't know," Jia squatted beside him. "I was going to ask Uncle Yoon, but he's in a meeting with Mama and a lord."

"So should we take care of it?"

"That's why I went to find you. It looks hungry. Birds eat worms and bugs, but they're too icky for me to hold."

"You want me to find it food instead?"

"Yup!"

"No way! We'll get in trouble if we both get really dirty!"

"But Ryuuji!"

"No! But birds can also eat rice! Let's go find the kitchen staff! They'll give us some rice," Ryuuji suggests. Jia's face brightens up.

"Ok!" she leaps up. The two run back to the main castle. They run all the way to the kitchen.

"Um! Excuse me!" Ryuuji shouts to one of the staff as she exits the kitchen. "Can we get some rice?"

The staff looks between the little prince and his twin that clung to his sleeve. The staff gave a dismissive wave.

"I'm sorry I can't do that your majesty. It's spoil your dinner," she starts to walk off, but Ryuuji grabs the staff's skirt.

"Please! We're not going to eat it so it doesn't have to be cooked!"

"I'm sorry Prince!" she starts struggling to walk away from him. "It is against your parents' wishes..."

"No it's not! Please!" Ryuuji keeps his grip on the staff's skirt. Her shoulders soon go limp and she stops struggling.

"Prince and Princess," she turns around and sits on her legs in order to be at their level, "I cannot help you this time. If you behave, I can sneak in some extra rice for your dinner tonight," Ryuuji let go of her skirt, but crossed his arms with a frustrated look on his face.

"But I don't want it at dinner, I want it now."

"Ryuuji, let's find something else," Jia tugged on his sleeve. Ryuuji turned around with a huff and left the area leading to the kitchen. Jia followed after him. "Ryuuji, it looks like it's going to rain. We should find an umbrella."

"Fine," he grumbled, still upset. The two went back to their room. They tore up the room looking for an umbrella.

"I thought we had one in here," Jia sat on her bed staring intently at the mess they made.

"Me too," Ryuuji continued to dig through the mess.

"I'm going to ask a servant!" Jia jumped off her bed and rushed to the door. She opened it and froze. "Ryuuji! It's bad! It's already raining!" she pointed outside. "It's raining really hard! The bird!"

"What?!" he jumped up and ran to the door too.

"I'm going to get the bird!" Jia picked up her dress and ran through the halls.

"Wait! Jia!" Ryuuji chased after her.

Jia ran all the way to the garden. She didn't mind the mud getting on her shoes or the edge of her dress. She barely felt the rain anymore. Parting the two bushes, she found the bird once again. It was shivering in the rain. It still hadn't flown away for better cover. Jia picked it up, cupping it between her hands. Carefully she put it in her skirt and picked up the skirt again. She carefully made her way back to the main castle. She was cold and dripping wet. Two guards ran over asking her if she was alright. Before she could respond, coughs racked her body. One commanded the other to fetch the Queen. As they waited, the guard rubbed her back, waiting for the coughs to go away. Minutes later Yona came running down the halls. She immediately embraced her daughter.

"Jia! What happened! You're soaked!" Yona worriedly ran a hand through Jia's soaked hair. Jia burst out crying.

"Mama! The bird! The bird won't fly!" she sobbed. Yona gasped when she caught sight of the wet bird in the princess's dress.

"Jia, oh my Jia," she whispered, hugging her. "Is that why you went into the rain?" Jia nodded. "Fetch a servant to bring some towels, I'll bring Jia to her room."

"Yes, your majesty," the guard bowed and ran off. Yona tenderly took the bird from Jia's skirt. With one hand she held the bird while in the other she held her daughter's hand. The two started towards the twins' room.

"I'll bring the bird to Yoon. When you get back to your room, I want you to change out of your wet clothes and into dry ones. Go to bed and try to stay warm. I'll have dinner sent to you later, got it?" Jia nodded. "Good. We don't want you to catch a cold."

"Ok Mama," Jia responded in a quiet voice. Yona sighed. She looked at the bird in her hand. It was snuggled up against Yona's warmth and seemed to be asleep. She noticed its wing was out of place. It was most likely broken.

When Yona got to the room, Ryuuji and Jin-ho were there.

"Mother! Jia!" Jin-ho leaped up. "What happened?! Jia is soaking wet and I found Ryuuji running down the halls!"

"I'll tell you later. Come along boys, leave your sister alone to change," she beckoned them out.

"Jia, what happened to the bird?" Ryuuji asked.

"Mama has it," she replied.

"Ok," he followed their mother out.

The next day Jia caught a cold from the rain. Yoon fixed the bird up with its own cast. While Jia was sick in bed, he brought it to her.

"I fixed up the bird for you. It'll need to stay with us to recover though," Yoon explained, setting the bird next to her.

"Thank you Uncle Yoon," Jia replied with a raspy voice.

"I guess now I have to take care of two birds," he sighed.

"S-Sorry Uncle Yoon," she used her covers to hide her face.

"It's fine. Just be more careful next time."

"I will."

"Jia! What will you call it?!" Ryuuji called from the other side of the room. He wasn't allowed any closer so he wouldn't catch her sickness.

"Nolae. It means song," she called back to the best of her ability.

"Boring!"

"I like the name! I saved the bird I get to name it!" she grumbled. She turned her head to look at the bird. It's wing was covered in white bandages, but it looked to be in a peaceful slumber. "Hello Nolae, I'm Jia. I hope we can become friends."

The small bird opened its eyes and shook itself. It replied with a little chirp. Jia giggled and pet it's head with a finger.

Nolae stayed at the palace as its wing healed. The twins gave it its own caged home in their room. It sat on the floor and was never closed so the Nolae could hop in and out of it as it pleased. It was a sad day when Nolae's wing was healed. The twins cried as they released the bird. No amount of comforting nor bribing could calm them down.

However, miraculously that night Nolae returned to its cage. The next day it left again, but would return later. Nolae came and went as it pleased. On rainy or windy days, Nolae would jump on one of the twins' shoulders and would follow them around all day. Nolae was their bird. They loved Nolae and Nolae loved them.


	9. Small steps

**I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but I'll be extremely busy now until April. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to write.**

 **Prompt: Shin-ah was never comfortable around children. Of course the Happy Hungry Bunch sets out to fix this, but Shin-ah makes his own, unexpected, steps.**

* * *

Shin-ah wasn't always comfortable with children. It took lots of prompting from his friends to even hold a baby. It took even more prompting to play with a child by himself.

"Maybe it'd be easier if Shin-ah had a child of his own," Yona remarked. She held Kija's youngest son, Min-jun, in her arms. Earlier she tried giving him Min-jun, but Shin-ah ended up giving him back after a few seconds. So far she was the only one who could encourage Shin-ah to hold a baby.

"Yona dear, do you even hear what you're saying?" Jae-ha asked.

"I'm... Not married or anything," Shin-ah replied.

"That's right!" Kija stood up. "And Shin-ah's not the kind to do that sort of stuff!"

"What sort of stuff?" nobody decided to answer Shin-ah's question.

"It's fine! It's fine!" Zeno grinned. "Seiryuu is just shy!"

"Still... I want to help..." Yona pouted. Her face suddenly lit up. "Aren't we going to Uicho next week? There's an orphanage there! We should visit and maybe help Shin-ah's fear."

"That sounds like a pretty selfish reason," Yoon commented.

"It's fine! I was planning on trying to visit anyways, but now we have even more of a reason to."

"You don't have to," Shin-ah responded.

"It's alright! It'll be a great experience for all of us!"

"Wait!" Yoon jumped in. "Just at what point were you planning to visit?!"

* * *

When it came to children, Yona and Zeno were the best choices. Both of them adored children and children adored them. Originally Hak and Jae-ha were neutral on the subject, but ever since they got children of their own they became more interactive. Kija and Yoon were always interactive with children and stayed that way. Shin-ah was the only person who stayed away. He was always shy and awkward around the tiny people. Back in Seiryuu village, he was used to children crying and running away from him. Even once he left, his mask would often scare children. Of course he wasn't wearing it today and had a blindfold on.

Shin-ah stood off to the side as children ran past him, playing and trying to get to the other members of the Happy Hungry Bunch. Kija, Zeno, and Jae-ha stood in front of a small crowd, reenacting adventures of the past. Yona and Hak were still passing out gifts to the children nearby, a small crowd around them too. Yoon was further away, taking care of the sick. Even though this was supposed to help Shin-ah, it didn't seem to be helping at all.

As he stood there, Shin-ah noticed one child in particular. The child stood away from the rest, hiding between a bookshelf and a wall. He sat curled up, not lifting his head to anyone. He didn't approach anybody nor did they approach him. Shin-ah walked over and tugged on Yona's sleeve. She looked up.

"What's wrong Shin-ah?"

"There's somebody over there," he pointed to where the boy was hiding. Yona gave her bag of toys to Hak and followed Shin-ah to the boy's hiding spot. When she saw the boy, she crouched in front of him.

"What's your name?" she asked sweetly. One of the boy's eyes peeked out from his arm, but quickly receded. He never responded. "What are you doing in this corner?"

"Go away..."

"Pardon?"

"Go away. I'm cursed," Yona opened her mouth to say something, put Shin-ah put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yona," he shook his head. Yona frowned, but understood what Shin-ah wanted to do. She got up and went back over to Hak. "Why are you cursed?"

"I don't know. But everything my hands touch is destroyed. Nobody goes near me because of it," Shin-ah thought a moment. Quickly he got up and went to Yoon.

"Gloves," Yoon stared at him baffled for a moment.

"What?"

"Can you make gloves for a child?" Yoon nodded.

"Sure. Why?"

"As a gift."

"I see. I'm a little busy right now, but I'll see what I can do."

* * *

"That did not go well," Jae-ha commented as they returned to Hiryuu Castle. Yona sighed, recounting the events of meeting with Uicho's lord. He had refused to accept the requests of Yona or Hak. He even went as far to accuse them of pretending to be the Queen and King. The group had left without getting anything done.

"Can't be helped. We'll have to come back another time," Yona replied.

"We should ask General Wei and General Tae-woo to come along as well," Yoon suggested.

"Then Gramps will probably want to come along and it'll turn into a crowd," Hak groaned.

"Perhaps meeting former general Mundock will knock some sense into him," Jae-ha joked.

"I think General Wei and General Tae-woo will be enough," Yona said. "I'll go write General Tae-woo a letter immediately," she rushed off.

"Eh? Wait! Yona!" Hak chased after her.

"Those two..." Yoon sighs. "Well time t-"

"Huh? Seiryuu, what's wrong?" Zeno asked.

"You're being quiet," Kija commented.

"Have you met Shin-ah?!" Jae-ha responded.

"Quieter than usual," Kija glared back.

"I..." Shin-ah started, unsure of how to word his sentence.

"It's alright Seiryuu! Tell us anything!" Zeno grinned.

"I... Might adopt a child," Shin-ah fidgeted under the stares of disbelief he was receiving.

"What?!" everybody screamed.

"W-W-W-What spurred this on?!" Kija shouted.

"We're not hearing things are we?!" Yoon asked

"Hey! Hey!" Zeno waved his hands trying to calm everybody down. "Seiryuu is trying to break out of his shell! We need to be supportive."

"Shin-ah, are you sure? Being a single parent can be very hard," Jae-ha stated. His own wife had died few years prior, leaving him to raise their daughter alone.

"Yes," Shin-ah replied.

"Alright then. If you need any advice or anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"M-Me too!" Kija said. "If you need anything at all don't be afraid to ask any of us!"

"Thank you."

During their next visit to Uicho, Shin-ah returned to the orphanage. The caretaker approached him with a smiling face as children played around the house.

"Hello, you're one of the people who visited recently," she smiled.

"Yes..."

"What can I do for you today?"

"Uh... I would like to ado-"

"Adopt a child?! Of course!" she finished his sentence. "It's so nice that an assistant to a Lord will be adopting one of these children. I'll set up interviews for you to kno-"

"Um, I already know..."

"Oh! You do? Oh, of course! You interacted with the children during your last visit! Who is it?" Shin-ah saw the child from last time in the same corner from before.

"The one hiding next to the bookshelf," the caretaker's eyebrows scrunched together.

"Young-su? He doesn't really interact with anybody that much."

"It's fine."

"Alright," she replied. "I don't know if he'll come out though."

"I'll talk to him," she sighed. She started walking over to Young-su, Shin-ah following her. "Young-su? There's someone here to adopt you. Can you come out?"

"Send them away, I'm cursed," he replied, not looking up.

"I know you think that, but this man requested you."

"I don't care! In the end my stupid hands will mess everything up! Nobody wants me and this stupid curse!"

"But-" Shin-ah nudged the caretaker aside. He sat in front of Young-su.

"Just because you're cursed doesn't mean you don't deserve friends or a family," Shin-ah said. The boy looked up. "I was cursed once too, but I found people who accepted me. Now I use my powers to protect them. I want you to find people like that too. I... want to help you."

"You... Don't care that I'm cursed?" he asked. Shin-ah shook his head. "Even if I break things?" Shin-ah dug through his coat. He pulled out the gloves Yoon made. He handed them to Young-su.

"If you are scared then wear these until you're no longer are," Young-su put them on. For a few moments he observed the black fabric they were made from.

"W-What if I ruin these?!"

"My friend made them, he could mend them."

"Thank you."

"Do you want to come with me?" Shin-ah reached out his hand. Young-su nodded, grabbing it. Shin-ah helped him up, but after that Young-su wouldn't let go. "Um," Shin-ah turned to the caretaker. She had a hand over her mouth and watery eyes.

"I'll take care of the rest!" she said. Shin-ah nodded. The two left the orphanage to return to the inn the Happy Hungry Bunch was staying at. Young-su said nothing as they left. He only spoke when they were walking down the streets.

"Um, what's your name?"

"Shin-ah."

"Shin-ah, if you're blind how do you know where you're going?"

"I'm... Not blind."

"W-What?! Then why are you wearing a blindfold?! And how can you see?!"

"I can still see even if I'm blindfolded. I used to think that I was cursed because of them, but I was able to meet my friends because of them."

"Will I meet these friends too?" Shin-ah nodded.

"They're at the inn."

"You don't live in Uicho?" Shin-ah shook his head.

As they arrived at the inn, the first one to greet them was Ao. She had scampered to the door and waited for the two. She climbed onto Shin-ah's shoulder as a greeting before jumping onto Young-su's head.

"Shin-ah! You're back!" Yoon greeted. "We already finished packing so hurry up so we can leave," Shin-ah nodded before walking over to his bag.

"General Wei and General Tae-woo already left, but we stayed behind," Yona said. "We wanted to see who you brought home. So what's your name?"

"U-Um I'm Young-su," he replied quietly.

"Nice to meet you Young-su, I'm Yona Son," she smiled. She pointed to Hak in the back of the room. "Back there is my husband, Hak," she proceeded to naming everybody in the room.

"N-Nice to meet everybody," Young-su bowed. "I... Hope you'll accept me..."

"You're Shin-ah's son now, you're already accepted," Yona grinned. "Welcome to our little family!"

"Family..."

"Not that it's not nice meeting a new edition to the family," Yoon said, "but we should start leaving before the inn keeper kicks us out."

"Let's get something to eat! Zeno is hungry!" Zeno announced.

"Is food always on your mind?!" Yoon shouted back.

"I wouldn't mind grabbing a bite to eat," Jae-ha commented.

"Yoon, what's for lunch?" Hak asked.

"You beasts are troublesome!" Yoon grumbled, taking his leave. "I'll make us food once we leave."

"Yay~!" Zeno cheered following him out. The others started streaming out, starting up different conversations among the small group.

"This is my new family?" Young-su questioned. He felt a rough hand on his head. Shin-ah nodded. He exited the room with Young-su following in-tow.

"Someday find people to call your family."

"Shin-ah, I already have," he replied, grabbing Shin-ah's hand. "Um, what's with the mask?"


	10. New Life

**Sorry if this seems a little rushed. I realized I hadn't posted anything in a while and whipped this up.**

 **Prompt: A new life with a new family and a new friend.**

* * *

In the orphanage, whenever he was scared and lonely, Young-su would stuff himself into a corner and refuse to come out. That lead to most of his time being spent in the corner. However today Young-so wasn't in the orphanage. He was terrified of going back. Instead he ran into the garden and wedged himself between some bushes and the palace wall. He curled up as he usually did, and worried over his situation.

It was an understatement to say Young-su was shocked to discover that not only was Yona and Hak the Queen and King of Kouka, but his new father was Seiryuu. After a few days of living in Shin-ah's house, Young-su was steadily getting used to his new surroundings and life. However it was quickly shattered when Shin-ah brought Young-su up to Hiryuu Castle.

His new life living with a legendary dragon warrior wasn't why he was hiding. Shin-ah had brought him up to get his gloves fixed. One of the gloves had gotten snagged on a table yesterday and ripped clean in two. Up to that point they had been working, nothing was breaking. However the moment they ripped, Young-su became distraught. He refused to touch anything without the glove. So Shin-ah brought him to Hiryuu Castle, where Yoon lived.

Young-su was going to wait outside Yoon's office as the glove was being repaired. Shin-ah had gone off to help wit something, leaving Young-su alone to wait, However a servant started coming down the hall. She carried a tray with a tea set. She tripped in front of him. Young-su dove forward, catching the tray before it hit the ground. The servant thanked him profusely.

As he was handing the tray to her, another servant came barreling down the hall. He carried loads of papers and scrolls in his arms. Without looking he ran straight into Young-su, knocking him and the tray over. He fell to the ground and heard the crash of china on the halls' hard floor. The servant's screech echoed in his ears. Hot tea had splattered all over her. Young-su shakily apologized effort running off to hide. He was certain Shin-ah would hear of the incident and send him away. That new life he had recently created would be shattered.

He quietly mourned within the bushes. But he soon felt a small hand patting his head. Young-su looked up to find a girl standing before him. She looked a few years younger and wore a forest green dress and dark blue robe over it. He was quick to note that by her expensive clothing, she wasn't the daughter of some servant.

"What's wrong?" she asked, big, blue eyes stared at him in curiosity.

"Nothing now go away."

"It doesn't look like nothing," she replied innocently. "A strange boy is hiding in the garden. I can call the guards."

"Don't!"

"Theeen~ what's wrong?" she asked in a sing-song voice. Realizing he had few options, Young-su confessed.

"Everything my hands touch is destroyed. I had gloves to help that, but one of them is being repaired right now. Things were ruined because I touched them," he said.

Suddenly the girl grabbed the collar of his shirt. With her unexpected strength, she yanked him up and started dragging him away from his hiding spot. Young-su stumbled behind her, trying to move his body from its bent position due to the smaller girl. She brought him to a small opening in the garden and finally let go of his shirt. She looked around for something before pointing to the ground at his feet.

"Stay right here, don't move," she rushed off. Young-su was a bit scared of the girl's strength to defy her command. He stood still as he waited for her to come back. Soon she returned holding a red, white, and green ball. She lightly kicked it to him and it rolled to a stop at his feet. Young-su just stared at it with a bewildered expression.

"Huh?"

"We're playing a game. You try to kick the ball past me. If it gets past me, you win. But if I get it past you, I win."

"But what I just said about destroying everything-"

"It's fine if as long as you don't touch it with your hands. Naturally I won't use my hands either," she said, impatiently waiting for him to kick it back. He kicked it to her and she returned the kick with great force. It barreled past Young-su, hitting a tree behind him at full force. She laughed in victory.

"I win~! I win~!"

"W-Wait! I wasn't prepared!"

"Oh~?" she ran past him to retrieve the ball. She grabbed it and went back to her spot. It bounced a little when she dropped it on the ground. She once again kicked it to him at full force. This time Young-su stuck out his foot and kicked the ball back. It sped towards her. She tried going after it, but tripped on her dress. She fell flat on the ground and the ball rolled right past her.

"A-Are you alright?!" he ran over. He helped her up with his gloved hand. She had tears in her eyes and dirt covered her face.

"I-I-I'm fine," she said, but it was obvious she was trying to hold back tears.

"Da-hee? Did you fall?" someone called from the entrance of the garden.

"Mama!" she bawled. She bolted over and clung to her mother's robes.

"Oh dear," she picked her up and rubbed her back.

"U-Um, Miss Yona, are you her mother?"

"Hello again, Young-su. And yes, I am her mother. I see you and Da-hee have met each other."

"Mama, you know him?" Da-hee asked.

"This is Young-su, Shin-ah's new son."

"Uncle Shin-ah's?"

"Nice to meet you Da-hee," he bowed.

"Hello Young-su," she replied. Yona giggled.

"Da-hee, it's time for a nap. Say goodbye."

"Bye-bye, Young-su! Come play again tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yup! You need to come!"

"Ok," he replied. Yona smiled as she started walking to Da-hee's room. "Ah! Wait! Miss Yona! I-I mean Queen Yona!"

"Miss Yona is fine. Or Aunt Yona since you're Shin-ah's son."

"Um, Miss Yona? Can I ask you something?" he asked. Yona smiled with a nod and motioned for him to follow her. "Why did Shin-ah adopt me? There were other kids in the orphanage. I have a curse of destruction, I ruin everything."

"I understand why Shin-ah wanted to adopt you. He's always been really kind, but Shin-ah has a... Difficult past. He covers his eyes because of that, usually with a mask."

"Mask?"

"Has he not worn it? Perhaps he doesn't want to scare you..."

"But I still don't understand why it had to be me."

"Because Shin-ah wants to guide you out of the darkness. That's why his name means 'moonlight.'"

"Miss Yona, I'm still not sure what you mean."

"I think you'll find out eventually. Speaking of Shin-ah, there he is," Yona nodded to Seiryuu running towards them.

"Shin-ah!" Shin-ah approached the three. Yona walked past him.

"I'll be putting Da-hee down for her nap now," she said as she passed. "I'll see you later."

"Shin-ah, were you looking for me?" Young-su asked. Shin-ah nodded in response. "Why?"

"Yoon fixed your glove," he said handing the newly mended glove to Young-su.

"Thank you," he slid it on.

"Ready to go home?"

"Yes, but can I come back tomorrow? I promised Da-hee that I'd play," Shin-ah nodded. He started walking down the hall and Young-su followed. "Um, Shin-ah? Thank you... For adopting me. I've made a friend now."

"That's good," he replied.

"A-And I was wondering... Could I call you 'Papa?' It's... What I used to call my father..." Shin-ah was quiet for a moment.

"It's alright," he finally responded. Young-su's face brightened.

"Thanks Papa!"


	11. Songbird's Migration

**Sorry for not updating in a while! I have a con in like 3 days and I wrote this to take my mind off of con crunch.**

 **Prompt: Princess Jia goes off to Xing on her parents' orders. With her three companions, what's the worst that can happen?**

* * *

"Nolae! Stay close!" Jia called to the songbird. The bird flew a little further ahead before flying back to the princess.

"Princess Jia! Stay close!" her guard, Min-gi mocked. Jia rolled her eyes and walked a little further ahead.

"You did not have to come on this trip," she stated once Nolae landed on her shoulder.

"Well I am originally from Xing. A foolish princess such as yourself would get lost the second you left the castle," Jia groaned at his reply.

"Please don't argue! Could you two get along?" Jia's lady-in-waiting, Hye-su, begged. She rode on a horse while holding the reigns of Jia's stallion. Jia had decided not to ride said stallion and opted to go by foot. They brought the horse along just in case.

"Once Princess Jia stops dressing the way she does."

"There is nothing wrong with how I dress!" Jia shouted back. At the outburst, Nolae flew off her shoulder and onto Hye-su's head.

"Sure. There's nothing wrong with how you dress, if you were a guy that is. When will you stop stealing your brother's clothes?"

"That is none of your business!" Jia crossed her arms. Nevertheless, she looked down at her outfit. Her boots, worn from traveling, had been taken from her brother. The blue tunic she wore had been taken from Young-su. The pants were probably her's. However the white color made her think she borrowed them from one of the Hakuryuu brothers and never gave them back...

"Now, now," Hye-su tried bringing the conversation back in control. "Osamu, the sun will set soon! Shall we set up camp somewhere?"

Osamu, Jia's second guard, walked behind the small group. He was silent, as usual, and gave a small nod to Hye-su.

"Wonderful! Let's find a good clearing where we can set up!" Hye-su smiled.

"Hye-su, that was a terrible excuse," Jia sighed. Nonetheless she fell back and allowed her lady-in-waiting and quiet guard to scout out a camping spot.

"Well princess, are you going to take the tent or sleep in the great outdoors?" Min-gi asked.

"I will sleep outside."

"No you won't!" Hye-su called over her shoulder. "We will be arriving in Xing tomorrow and I cannot permit you to sleep outside tonight!"

"Hye-su you're no fun!" Jia groaned.

Osamu waves the group over to a clearing. Hye-su dismounted her horse and started tying the horses to a tree. Osamu and Min-gi started setting up camp. Nolae flew from Hye-su to join its owner. Jia wandered to each of her companions, trying to figure out what to do to set up camp. Osamu didn't speak to her as he set up the tent. Min-gi called her useless and told her to go away as he gathered firewood. Hye-su said she didn't need to do anything as she prepared dinner. In the end, Jia sat on a log watching the others work.

"Being a princess sucks," Jia talked to Nolae. The bird chirped. Jia took that as a chirp of agreement. "I know right! How do my sisters deal with this?! It's always the delicate princess! But Mother and my sisters are amazing fighters! I mean Da-hee doesn't fight, but she has natural strength... But anyways, why am I different? Is it because of the incide-"

"Hey weirdo princess! Stop talking to your bird!" Min-gi called.

"And that's why I hate Min-gi..." Jia told Nolae. The bird chirped again.

"Princess! Dinner will be ready soon!" Hye-su called. "Please come closer to the camp!"

"Coming!"

* * *

"Jia!"

 _"It's dark..."_

"Jia! Jia!"

 _"No... Please go away..."_

"Jia!"

She heard the sound of rushing water. But she couldn't see where the water was coming from.

"Jia!"

The water rapidly rose. She could still hear the voice calling her name. She was cold. Very cold. The water was nearly at her shoulder by now.

"Stop torturing me!" Jia screamed. The water was at her head. She couldn't scream anymore. She couldn't swim either. Something heavy weighed on her ankles. She didn't struggle. She just slowly sunk to the bottom. The voice was still calling her name, but Jia felt no strength to do anything.

Her eyes opened. She wasn't in the dark, water filled room anymore. She was in her tent with Hye-su and Nolae sleeping beside her.

Jia got up and left the tent. Outside, Min-gi was curled up under layers of blankets, fast asleep. Osamu sat a few feet away from the center of camp on guard duty. Jia quietly snuck across the camp and to the dying fire. She rifled through their bags looking for water. She finally found the small jug and brought it to her lips. She didn't get a drink when a hand went over her mouth. Jia struggled for a moment before splashing the jug's water over her captor. They sputtered and let go of her.

"What was that for?!" they growled. Much to her relief it is Min-gi.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was you," Jia replied. She didn't turn around to look at him. Min-gi sat on the ground beside her.

"So why're you awake? Did Princess Jia have a scary nightmare?" he teased.

"Can you not?"

"Well I mean- woah! Wait! Are you crying?"

"Huh?" Jia felt her cheeks. To her surprise they were wet with tears. "Oh, I am."

"How do you not notice something like that?! Did you seriously have a nightmare?!"

"I think so..."

"You think?!"

"It's not a big deal. It's a reoccurring nightmare I've had for years."

"Princess Jia, that's not a good thing. How long has this been happening?"

"I don't know. Since this incident as a kid."

"Incident? Are you talking about when Prince Ry-"

"That's enough talking for tonight!" Jia stood up. "I'm going back to bed!"

* * *

The crowd cheered and waved to the Koukan princess as she rode upon her stallion. Min-gi, who guided her horse, was soaking up the attention, waving back, blowing kisses to the crowd.

"Min-gi, you are disgusting," Jia stated.

"Says the princess who talks to a dumb bird," he retorted.

"Nolae, don't listen to him," Jia put her hands on the sides of her bird's head.

"See what I mean?" he snorted.

"Why do you like so much attention?"

"In your terms, it's a peasant thing. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," before Min-gi could open his mouth, a group of soldiers cut through the crowd. They halted in front of the princess's party.

"Are you our guests from Kouka?" the leader asks.

"Yes we are," Hye-su responded. The leader beckoned for them to follow. The small group of soldiers surrounded the princess's party. They lead them to a large building on the outskirts of town.

"This is Princess Tao's villa. She has requested that you stay here until the end of your visit," the soldiers' leader explains. Jia and Hye-su dismount as the others take their things off the horses. Once that was done, a soldier takes the horses' reigns and presumably brings them to a stable.

"Princess Jia, Queen Kouren and Princess Tao will be here within the day. We have prepared a room for you. Guards, we shall escort you to your own room," the leader says, beckoning two of his soldiers over. He leads the way with the two soldiers following him. The party took that as a sign to follow.

They went inside the mansion. They were lead down a large, decorated corridor. Jia could see Min-gi looking around with an amazed look on his face. Every once in a while, she tugged on his shirt sleeve to keep him from wandering. Whenever that happened, he would glare at her a moment before going back to being amazed. Jia only scoffed at his actions.

"Guards, this is your room," the leader stopped in front of a door. He motioned for them to enter. Hye-su walked on and Jia followed her. Suddenly the leader stuck a hand out. "Sir, I understand that you are a guard that needs to stay with the princess, but we have this covered. You may rest," Jia's party stared at him flabbergasted.

"B-But I-I-" Jia could find no words.

"I will bring you to her room later if need be, but for now unpack your things. You must be weary from your long journey," he turned her around and gave a small push towards the room. Jia just stood frozen in the hallway. The leader walked away. "This way, Princess," he said to Hye-su. Hye-su looked back briefly before being forced to walk on. The remaining group stayed suspended in their stunned silence.

"Did that just happen?" Min-gi finally spoke.

"I... Think...?" Jia responded, not so sure herself.

"I mean, I know you look like a guy with your short hair and clothes, but seriously?"

"Was I just mistaken for a guard?" Min-gi suddenly burst out laughing.

"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" he gasped through bouts of laughter. He ended up rolling around on the floor in hysterics. That was until Jia kicked him in the stomach, immediately stopping his laughs.

"Ok... Alright... I can fix this... Just tell them that I'm the princess, right?" she pep-talked to herself.

"Yeah, but that may be difficult. Hye-su totally makes for a better princess than Princess tomboy here," Min-gi pointed out, still laying on the floor.

"Min-gi not now. I have to figur- wait..."

"Oh no, Princess. I know that look. You thought of something didn't you? That's not a good sign."

"No, Min-gi you're onto something."

"No I'm not! I had no intentions of giving you an idea!"

"But you're right! I'm not like a princess. I don't want to be one. So... This is my chance!"

"Princess Jia, I don't like where this is going. Butcher that idea right now before it gets bad."

"Hye-su can pretend to be me while I pretend to be a guard!"

"Too late!"

"I'm going to find Hye-su!" Jia threw her bags on top of Min-gi. She started running down the halls where Hye-su and the soldiers went down. She found them clustered outside of a room. Hye-su looked as if she was trying to say something.

"Um, hello!" Jia wedged her way between Hye-su and the soldiers.

"You're here!" Hye-su sighed in relief.

"Uh, right. Hey, could I borrow her for a few minutes? Like real quick," Jia grabbed Hye-su's arm, "this her room? Ok? Good. Thanks," Jia pulled Hye-su into the room. "So change of plans, you're going to pretend to be me."

"Wait, what?!" Hye-su said. Jia put a hand over Hye-su's mouth.

"So those guys mistook me for a guard. So, I kinda thought that I should play the part, you know?"

"Princess, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No, it's a brilliant idea! It'll only be a few weeks. I promise I'll take up my position again when we go to Sei."

"But Princess-"

"Please Hye-su! You're like my best friend!"

"Isn't Lord In-sik your best friend?"

"My best friend that's a girl," Hye-su sighed.

"Very well. But just promise me that you'll come clean when our visit to Xing is over."

"I promise."

"Thank you, Hye-su! I owe you one!" she hugged Hye-su.

"Yes, yes, I know," Jia let go and left the room.

"Sorry about that," she told the soldiers. "It was just an urgent matter concerning one of our companions. Everything's all cleared up now," she bowed and walked back down the hall. She made it back to the room set up for her guards.

"Please tell me you're here to grab your bags and go to your own room," Min-gi said when Jia returned.

"This is my room," Jia grinned victoriously. "I'm staying with you guys."

"I can't believe you're actually going through with this! Osamu say something to her!" Osamu opened his mouth to say something, but Jia cut him off.

"You don't need to, Osamu. And I already promised Hye-su to come clean at the end of this visit," Jia walked over and sat in front of Min-gi so that they were at eye level. "Min-gi, I'll be fine. But I need your help. Please keep this a secret," Min-gi blinked a few times.

"Tch, fine. But you owe all of us a bunch of favors!"

"Oh, thank you Min-gi!" Jia opened her arms to hug him, but Min-gi stopped her by putting his hand on her face and gently pushing her away.

"Yeah, yeah whatever! I don't want a hug from an ugly princess," Jia ignored him and stood up. She stood in front of Osamu.

"Osamu, what do you say?" Osamu shrugged and nodded.

"Thanks!" she briefly hugged him. She let go and stood before both of her guards. "From today until we leave, I am Jian! I am Princess Jia's bodyguard from Kuuto. Treat me as so!"

"Whatever you say, guy with an uncreative name," Min-gi rolled his eyes. Jia kicked his shin.

Nevertheless she was smiling. Today she was not a princess. She was finally free from her duties!

"What's the worst that can happen?" she grinned.


	12. Weaknesses

**Fun fact, I cosplay Zeno and this came to me while I was styling his wig.**

 **Prompt: Everybody has some kind of weakness. Even with a body that has no weaknesses, Zeno still has one. Children.**

* * *

It was a well known fact that Zeno loved children. When he lived in the castle, he would always play with the children of the Happy Hungry Bunch, tell them stories, and oftentimes snuck them snacks.

However as the children started nearing his age, he started hearing the dreaded whispers and rumors about him. After all these years, Zeno still looked the same. Realizing his leisurely life in the castle was over again, Zeno packed his bags to travel. However he often made frequent visits back. It was during one of those visits that Zeno came across a situation that had never happened to him in the thousands of years he's been alive.

"Uncle Zeno? Will you plays with me?" Zeno looked down at the small blue eyed girl. He had only arrived minutes ago yet she had easily found him.

"Sure! Sure! Zeno would love to!" Zeno smiled and compiled as per usual. The small girl beamed. She grabbed his hand and started pulling him around the castle. The girl's name was Mi-yeon. Out of all the children of the HHB, she was the youngest (so far). Because of that she was quite a bit spoiled. But she was also spoiled because she could easily sway the heart of anybody in the castle.

She brought him to her room where various toys, books, and other things were strewn across the room. Zeno found it somewhat surprising to find her room so messy, but it was just a child thing.

"Sit there!" Mi-yeon pointed to a cushion in the middle of the floor. Zeno smiled and obeyed.

"So what are we playing?"

"Um... I want to play with your hair," Mi-yeon admitted. Instinctively, Zeno's hand rose to his golden locks.

"Zeno's hair? But there are plenty of others within the castle who have nicer hair."

"Da-hee won't let me play with her hair and Jia's is too short. Jin-jun isn't around enough for me to play with her."

"Um, what about... Yumi?"

"Her hair is short," Zeno pursed his lips knowing that Yumi's hair wasn't short and that it was just an excuse for Mi-yeon to play with his hair. One thing he had learned when Ha-yun was young was to never let a child near your hair. Another thing he had learned, which Mi-yeon seemed to have picked up on, was that puppy dog eyes are the greatest weapon in all of mankind.

"Fine," Zeno sighed. He untied his headband.

"I can do anything?"

"Yup anything!" she beamed and rushed behind him to do whatever she planned to do.

Zeno felt a lot of pulling and tugging. After a few quick minutes, Mi-yeon handed him a hand mirror.

"Ta-da!" she stepped back an admired her work. Half of Zeno's hair was in a sloppy ponytail.

"Wow! You did a good job," Zeno smiled. Mi-yeon mirrored his smile.

"Can I try something else?" she asked.

"Sure, sure!"

Once again Mi-yeon set off to work in his hair. Every once in a while she'd show him what she did before taking it down and trying a new style.

"This is getting boring..." Mi-yeon stated. She had been working on his hair for almost two hours now. Currently his hair was full of braids of varying lengths.

"Oh? Do you want to play something else now?" Zeno asked.

"Hmm... No! I though of something I want to do! Stay here!" she ran out of the room. She returns about ten minutes later holding something behind her back.

"What do you have there?"

"It's a secret," she smiled. She resumed her position from behind Zeno. Just as before, he felt her tugging and pulling on his hair. Zeno was starting to zone out when he heard a strange noise.

 _Snip._

 _Snip._

 _Snip._

"Um... What are you doing?"

"Please tell Zeno."

"Your hair is long so I thought I'd give you a haircut," Zeno was speechless.

"Wha- What? A haircut?!"

"Yup! You have a lot of hair."

"Z-Zeno is fine! Zeno doesn't need a haircut!" he stood up.

"Ah!" he saw her holding a pair of scissors and a cut lock of hair in her hands. "I-I wanted to help Uncle Zeno..." she sniffles. Her eyes started getting watery. There it was. Weakness number 3, crying. Zeno was over two thousand years old, participated in countless battles, traveled across all of Kouka multiple times, and yet he was no match for the little ready-eyed five year old. Zeno sat back down.

"Fine, fine. Zeno was going to get his hair cut soon..." her face brightens up. She goes back to trimming his hair. However trimming wasn't quite the correct word...

"What do you think so far?" Mi-yeon hands him the mirror again. More than half of his hair was missing. The remaining hair was cut in rough chunks.

"How does Zeno put it..."

"I know, there's still more I want to do," to his relief, he heard her put down the scissors and go to combing out his remaining hair. He felt the tugging and pulling once again.

"What are you doing now?" he asked.

"Just putting in bows," she responded. She stayed quiet as she worked on Zeno's remaining hair. After what felt like an eternity, there was some movement within the room that wasn't Mi-yeon working. The door slid open.

"Mi-yeon? Are you in here- Wait! What happened?!" Yoon stood in the doorway, shocked to see the Yellow Dragon sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by chunks of gold hair.

"Dad!" Mi-yeon peered over Zeno's shoulder.

"Ah! Hi kid!" Zeno waved.

"Zeno why're you here?! Moreover what happened to your hair?!"

"Zeno came to visit!"

"That doesn't explain the hair."

"Uncle Zeno was playing with me," Mi-yeon said.

"Mi-yeon!" Yoon walked over to his young daughter. "You shouldn't do stuff like this! Say sorry to Zeno!"

"S-Sorry Uncle Zeno," she mumbled when Yoon bowed and made her do the same.

"It's fine, it's fine~!" Zeno got up and brushed most of the hair off of his clothes. "Kid, she did nothing wrong. Zeno allowed her to."

"Still... Mi-yeon, make sure to clean up your mess."

"Yes dad..." she pouted.

"I'll be back later, alright?" he patted her head and she nodded. "Zeno can you come with me for a while?"

"Sure, sure!"

"I'm really sorry about this," Yoon stated. The two sat in his office, Yoon fixing up Zeno's hair.

"It's fine, really. Zeno just has a soft spot for children," Zeno responded.

"Can't say no, huh?"

"Zeno is an old man. All the kids are like grandchildren to Zeno."

"Oh? Finally letting your age show?" Zeno laughed. "Well anyways, I'm done."

Yoon cleaned off the razor and went to dump the water basin outside. Zeno felt his head. His hair was probably as short as when Yona first cut her hair, maybe even shorter. Knowing the nature of his hair, strands were probably sticking up all over the place. Even though his hair wasn't that long anymore, Zeno put his headband back on and his pendant back in its usual spot.

"By the way, how long will this haircut last anyways?" Yoon asked, sweeping the floor.

"Few hours? Maybe less since Zeno is in the castle."

"Wait, then what was the point of me fixing your hair?!"


	13. The stranger

**This was supposed to be longer, but I felt that I needed to get a new chapter out. I'll be making a part two sometime.**

 **Prompt: story time! While Jin-jun is sick, Jae-ha receives a peculiar question.**

* * *

Raising a child alone was tough. The first few years, Jae-ha had his wife, Seo-yun, but once she died he found it extremely difficult to move on. Nevertheless, he had Jin-jun to take care of. He wasn't the perfect father, far from it, but he always made sure to be there for his daughter. Whenever she got sick, Jae-ha refused to leave her side. It was on one of those sick days that Jin-jun asked a peculiar question.

"What was the first thing you thought when you met mom?" she asked. Jae-ha looked up from the book he was reading.

"Hm... I think it was 'this is who I'm looking for?' Then it was 'garden hoe!'" it was easy to tell she wasn't satisfied with his answer. "What do you really want to know, sweetheart?"

"Was it love at first sight with you and mom? What was she like? How did you meet her?"

"Hm... No, sort of violent, and that's a long story."

"Tell me! Tell me! I'm not going anywhere," she said. Jae-ha chuckled.

"Alright this is the story of how I met your mother, Seo-yun."

* * *

Seo-yun sighed, leaning against the gardening hoe. She wiped sweat from her brow, but smeared dirt all over it. Her threadbare clothes were covered in mud and dirt. She concluded that her moment of rest was over and went back to work.

"Hello~" someone called from the entrance of the garden. It was a stranger. Seo-yun acted on instinct and threw the gardening hoe she had been using. The stranger yelled, but dodged to the side. The garden hoe struck a tree behind him and stuck there. The stranger stared at the innocent gardening tool which had just been used as a deadly projectile. His mouth opened and closed as they fished for words.

"What business do you have here?" Seo-yun walked up to the stranger, glaring at him. He stood a full head taller than her yet she managed the height difference a bit by standing on her toes. The stranger's face quickly turned from surprise to a somewhat carefree smile.

"Nothing~ just wondering why such a beautiful lady was doing such harsh work," he took her hand in his, lowering his head, he planted a kiss on the back of her hand. Seo-yun immediately pulled back with an unwavering expression.

"The nearest town is down the hill. Now if you'll leave me alone..." she walked past him and easily pulled the gardening hoe from the tree.

"Um... Wait..."

"Good luck on your journey, bye."

* * *

"And that's how I met her!" Jae-ha smiled. Jin-jun pouted.

"That's all?"

"Well yeah. You asked how we met."

"But! What about the romance! The adventure!"

"You've been reading to many fantasy stories, sweetheart," Jae-ha stated.

"Then how did you fall in love? Why did you marry? Was it happily ever after?"

"Alright, alright, I'll tell the entire story. After that rejection, the handsome stranger left," he recounted, "however the next day..."

* * *

"Hello again~!" the same stranger once again stood in front of Seo-yun.

"Please go away."

That was the basic pattern for the next day, then the next, then the next, then the next. In fact, almost two whole weeks before the pattern was broken.

"Why won't you leave me alone?!" Seo-yun screamed. The stranger flinched at her sudden outburst.

"Sorry, I'm just persistent~" he smiled not sounding the least bit apologetic.

"So I've noticed," she groaned. "Look, please just for today could you just leave and never come back?"

"That doesn't sound like a one day thing."

"Arg! Please go away! I need to go into town and I can't deal with you today!"

"Why don't I go with you? Or why don't I go into town for you. I can assure you that I'm very quick with errands like that," he smiled.

"Really? Then here's my list and some money," she handed him a list and money, turned him around, and pushed him away.

"Eh?! Wait?! Seriously?!"

"Yup. Be back by sunset. Bye!" she pushed him a little harder.

"When I get back, why don't we have a drink together?" he smiled. Seo-yun pushed him even harder.

"Sure, sure, as long as you get everything on that list," she replied. He sighed and started walking towards the forest. Once he was out of sight, Seo-yun sighed in relief. With the annoying guy gone, she could get some work done.

Seo-yun worked for hours. The sun's final rays of the day were just hitting the treetops. She hadn't seen any sign of the annoying stranger. However she wished he would come back and give her her money back. Seo-yun picked up a box and started carrying it. She watched as a couple of village women walked by, gossiping between them. She watched them pass into the forest before sighing and carrying on with her work. She walked across the garden, putting the box where it was supposed to be. She wiped her hands on her dress before going to fetch another box. Suddenly a scream pierced the air.

It was coming from the forest the village women had gone into. Without another thought, Seo-yun took off towards the forest. She heard her heart pounding in her ears. Another scream replaced the pounding. Seo-yun followed the direction. Just a short distance away were the village women surrounded by burly men. They were struggling to free themselves from the grips of the men. One woman was on the ground, red liquid flowing from under her clothes.

In the next breath, Seo-yun ran over and punched the closest guy on the side of the face. He sputtered, and fell away, freeing the woman in his grasp.

"Take her and leave now," Seo-yun pointed to the girl lying in the ground. The freed girl scrambled to her feet and helped the injured one to her feet. The third girl let out an alarming squeak. Her captor held a knife up to her neck.

"Leave and this one gets it," he stated, an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on leaving," Seo-yun rushed forward to wrestle the knife from his hands. She latched onto his arms and started trying to pry the knife away. She felt strong arms try to pull her away, but she kept struggling against them, kicking and lashing out, not letting go no matter how much they flung her around.

But she was losing her grip. She felt her nails starting to slip from the guy's skin. Luckily the girl had gotten away from him and fled with the other two.

"Get down!" a voice from above called. Seo-yun released her grip on the man and fell to the ground. She groaned in pain and looked up in time to see the one she had been holding onto was crushed into the ground. A gust of wind and she was released, the other two men fell back, stumbling over their own feet.

"Are you alright?" she stared up meeting the purple eyes of the persistent stranger. She blinked a few times not believing her eyes.

"Huh?" he placed a few bags down by here.

"Here, everything on your list. We'll get our drink once I take care of these guys," he winked. Seo-yun still couldn't believe her eyes. The next thing she knew, the attackers were tied up and the stranger was helping her up. He picked up a few of the bags and started walking back towards her house. Seo-yun immediately snapped out of her trance. She picked up the remaining bags and followed him.

They walked in silence a little bit before the stranger started laughing. Seo-yun jumped.

"Wha-What?!"

"Geez, how did you even get into a fight like that! Imagine what I went through, I went to your house and you weren't there. So I go looking for you and what do I find? You're clinging to a man while being pulled by three others."

"I-I was helping some girls those guys attacked."

"That so? How valiant," he said in a somewhat mocking tone.

"Sh-Shut up," her ears felt hot.

"Still that was pretty brave of you. There've been countless times that I've seen nobody act in situations like those."

"I guess... Hey... Um, thank you... For helping me..." She felt her ears getting hotter and hotter, even spreading to her cheeks a little bit. The stranger noticed and smiled.

"It was nothing. However my services don't come cheap."

"S-Services?!"

"Well I did just run your errands and save you. I want some compensation."

"I-I don't have much money!"

"Don't worry, I just want to know your name. Oh and some company tonight," he smirked.

"You... You pervert!" she kicked him in the shin.

"Ow! Hey! That leg's not as strong as my other one!"

"Seo-yun."

"What?"

"My name is Seo-yun," she didn't look at him.

"Oh? Nice name. I'm Jae-ha."

* * *

"You and mom didn't seem to get along," Jin-jun pointed out.

"Really? I think we did," Jae-ha smiled fondly.

"What happe-" coughs erupted from Jin-jun's mouth. Jae-ha closed his book with a sigh and put a hand on her forehead.

"You still have a fever. Get some rest, I'll make you something to eat."

"But the story..."

"Another time sweetheart," he rearranged her covers before getting up and leaving the room.

"Hey dad?"

"Yeah?" he stopped in the doorway.

"Did you love mom?"

"More than anything."


	14. Update!

**Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the sudden disappearance! I suddenly got really busy. I haven't done my usual free writing in almost a week! I had put this story on brief pause in order to focus on finishing RDFW, but I didn't expect being so busy! Anyways I have a few new chapters that I'm trying to write. If you have any ideas or suggestions for prompts don't be afraid to comment them! Also now that RDFW is done I can finally write some stories for Nari!**


	15. First step forward

**Sorry for the delay! I'd been wanting to write more about Soo-won's past, but I could never figure out how to make certain things connect... However I finally did!**

 **Prompt: Sometimes your past catches up and you can no longer run. The only thing you can do is to step forward and embrace it. It is time for Soo-won to take that first step.**

* * *

Awkward didn't even begin to describe how he felt. Soo-won stood in front of a worn and rickety wooden door. Many had passed through these doors all day. Soo-won knew since it had taken him all day to work up the courage to actually stand in front of them. He knew Joo-doh's impatience had gone above and beyond his usual tolerance level. He stood behind Soo-won tapping his foot with arms crossed.

Soo-won took one last look at the ex-general, who rolled his eyes in response. Finally he took a deep breath. The sound of hand on wood drummed in his ears. A knock shouldn't be so loud. The door did not respond with any sound. Soo-won was just about ready to turn around and deal with the ex-general's lecturing.

Suddenly the door let out a creak. She stood there. Silver threads spun into her silky hair, a few creases highlighting her face, and the figure he had known had changed a bit. However it was her. And she was just as beautiful as he remembered.

"I'm sorry, we're closed for the rest of the day. Come back tomorrow," her voice, oh her sweet voice, sang and rang through Soo-won's head. He felt frozen for a moment, grasping for words. Finally he cleared his throat.

"It's quite alright," he smiled back. He saw it in her eyes, recognition. Then her gray eyes filled with tears.

"Won?" she whispered.

"Hi So-yi, I'm back."

Soo-won didn't know what kind of reaction his entrance would illicit. He expected her to scream at him, slam the door, never see her again. He expected her to hit him and throw things, demanding to know why he left. He expected her to not believe him, close the door, and that would be that. When So-yi raised her hand up, Soo-won understood. He stood still and closed his eyes, waiting for the full impact of her slap. No, that's not what he ended up feeling. Her warm hand landed on his face. Then her other hand found his face, feeling around, pinching his cheeks, making sure he was real.

"Um..." Soo-won opened his eyes. What he saw, he had never expected. Tears flowed from So-yi's eyes.

"I thought you had died," she whispered. Her hand fell from his face and enveloped his torso. "Won, you're really here."

"Yes, I'm here," he embraced her back. Sobs filled her body, causing her to shake.

"I-I'm sorry, p-please come i-in," she pulled away, trying to wipe away the spilling tears. She situated the two men with cups of tea. She probably would have prepared an entire feast if Soo-won hadn't stopped her.

"I'm sorry I'm just a bit... excited. I'm still not sure how to react..." she laughed awkwardly.

"It's fine, I'm not either," Soo-won returned her laugh. "Why don't we just sit down and talk."

"Alright," she took a deep breath and sat down across from Soo-won. "There's so much I want to talk about. Where do I start?"

"Hm... Are you married again?"

"You start with t _hat,_ " she sighed. "No, not anymore. I remarried, but a few years after his son was born, he disappeared. My luck with men, right?"

"Haha yeah... So you have a son now..."

"Yes, and you have a daughter," Soo-won's face lit up.

"It was a girl?!" So-yi smiled at his reaction.

"Yup, her name is Chae-won."

"I-Is she around?!" he asked, looking around excitedly. So-yi shook her head.

"She married a while ago and moved out. She has a young baby now."

"Wow I'm suddenly a father _and_ a grandfather," So-yi laughed at his comment.

"What about you. Did you remarry?" Soo-won shook his head.

"There was never anyone else," So-yi blushed.

"Now you make me feel like I'm the unfaithful one..."

"You can't help it. You thought I had died."

"Yeah... What did you do when I thought you were dead?"

"I traveled! All across Kouka and even outside of it!" Soo-won started recounting some of his tales. He introduced her to Joo-doh and told of some of their craziest stories. So-yi listened intently. She added stories of Chae-won's childhood and stories of interesting customers.

"The poor thing was starving to death! She ate four whole plates of food! I had never seen such a small girl eat so much!" So-yi laughed. "I can't believe she's my son's girlfriend now!"

"Really?!" Soo-won laughed. The two calmed down for a moment and sat in silence.

"Ah, Won, actually... I've been wondering. What made you come back?"

"Oh... I met an interesting girl."

"A girl?" the look on her face made Soo-won realize his choice of words weren't quite right.

"She was a young teen! Younger than Chae-won. Meeting her brought on another encounter that... made me think... I've spent years trying to atone for my past mistakes all while I've been running from them. In the end they caught up to me anyways. So this time around I want to properly atone. So I'm starting with one of my biggest mistakes, leaving and lying to you."

"Won..." So-yi put her hands over his. "Look at us, we're so old now. However not once did I curse you for leaving. Whatever you did to me in the past, I forgive you and I will help you reconcile with any other mistakes you made."

"So-yi, thank you. I lied to you while we were together. I... I'm sorry. I truly am," she smiled. "You should know, I'm... I'm actually-"

"Mom! We're back!" the door flew open, a teenage boy stood in the doorway with someone in a hooded cloak behind him. "Oh? Are we interrupting something?"

"Ah, no, no," So-yi smiled. "Welcome back. Won, this is my son, Shi-woo and his girlfriend. Shi-woo, this is Won, an old friend."

"Nice to meet you, Won," Shi-woo greeted.

"Yes! Nice to meet you, Won!" the girl repeated.

"We'll get going, So-yi. I'll try to come by when you're not busy."

"Oh, of course. You're welcome to come by anytime," Joo-doh and Soo-won got up and walked out.

As they walked, Soo-won got a look at the girl in the hood. She had large, gentle ice colored eyes. Her gaze isn't what made him freeze up. It was the contrast to her hair. Ice eyes, but long, flame colored hair. It was no mystery who she was related to. The girl looked up at him and blinked a few times, curious about why he had stopped. Soo-won turned his head and continued walking.

Once a safe distance away, Soo-won broke into laughs. Joo-doh glared at him.

"What's so funny? Happy to see your wife? And don't you dare comment about my love life while yours is a mess."

"No, it's just... I really can't get away from her lately, can I?" Joo-doh raised an eyebrow, but didn't press things.

"So where are we going next?"

"To face my biggest mistake."

* * *

 **I've really enjoyed writing about Soo-won lately. Mostly because I'm enjoying placing as many hidden connections to Yona as I can. I have about two more chapters planned for Soo-won's "redemption."**


	16. Forgiveness

**Whoops this turned out longer than planned. Oh well, I fully enjoyed writing this chapter.**

 **Prompt: The beginning towards a mended bond starts with forgiveness.**

* * *

Hiryuu Castle, the jewel of Kouka. What did people feel when they looked up at it? Soo-won used to feel some excitement. This was the only place he could see both Yona and Hak. The eagerness that coursed through his small body as he felt like running up every step. The joy he felt when he met Hak on the way up and the two would race to see who could make it to the top first. The laughs when they met Yona at the top and planned what fun activities to do that day.

These emotions were only echoes now. As Soo-won stared at the sparkling jewel of Kouka, he felt nothing. It wasn't a nothing as in he felt no emotion. It was a nothing with too many emotions and thoughts to name only one. He couldn't hear anything around him. He felt numb. He wanted to turn back. However So-yi held his hand, preventing him from doing so. Joo-doh was also behind him and turning back would inflict his wrath.

"So you were at Hiryuu Castle before?" So-yi asked.

"Yeah," Soo-won let go of her hand. "Wait at the inn for now. I'll be back later... maybe."

"Just don't run away again, alright?" she hugged him.

"I won't," he responded. "Joo-doh, can you escort So-yi back?"

"No, I'm not letting you in there alone," Joo-doh glared.

"There'll be too much of a commotion if we go in together."

"You'll cause a lot of commotion by yourself."

"Joo-doh, please," Soo-won begged. After a brief stare down, Joo-doh sighed and gave in.

"Just come back alive, alright?" Soo-won didn't respond. He turned and started the ascension to the castle.

When he got to the top, he encountered two guards on duty. Luckily they looked young enough to not recognize him, hopefully.

"I'm here to see Princess Da-hee. I am her friend, Won," the two guards exchanged looks. One guard rushes inside.

"Please wait a few minutes as we retrieve her."

"Of course," Soo-won nodded. He waited in front of the gate. The waiting certainly wasn't helping his nerves. Minutes slowly tick by in silence. After an eternity, the black haired girl appears from behind the door.

"Won!" she ran forward and hugged him.

"Hi, Da-hee, it is good to see you again."

"It is! I didn't think I'd be able to see you again! My father was so mad at me for running away! I was confined to my room as punishment for a week! It was soooo boring. It would have been longer if mother hadn't stopped him," Soo-won laughed.

"Is that so?"

"Why didn't you visit sooner? What have you been doing?" she asked. It had been months since he had reunited with So-yi, even longer since he met Da-hee.

"Ah, well... I reunited with my family."

"Really?! I'm so happy for you! Tell me inside! I'll have a servant bring us tea!"

"Um, actually I might have to pass on the tea."

"What?! I wanted to show you how I've improved my cooking! I can make tea now!"

"I don't think that constitutes as cooking," he laughed.

"Aw... But what do you want? I want to be a good host!"

"Uh... I would actually like to meet with your parents."

"My parents? Are you sure? I'm pretty sure my father is still half convinced you kidnapped me."

"I don't think that's the case. I... just need to talk to them about an urgent matter."

"Alright. They might be busy, but my mother always tries to make time for those who need help."

"Thank you, Da-hee. You are a very sweet girl."

"Me?" she raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Thanks I guess. I'll bring you to them now."

Da-hee lead him through the castle. She tried giving a tour however Soo-won already knew where everything was. He tried his best to pretend to be interested and not focus on his nerves. However, it wasn't working. Soo-won prayed that nobody would recognize him. He constantly pulled on the rim of his hat. However he still felt completely exposed within enemy territory. He hoped his shortened hair would fool some people, but seeing his face, any older palace worker could recognize him. He would feel even more dread if he ran into any of Yona's friends along the way.

"They're in here. I'll be right behind you."

"Thank you, Da-hee," Soo-won said. He stood in front of the door for a moment. He could hear voices from the other side of the door.

"This is so boring! Yoon how much longer!" he heard Yona complain.

"If you actually did your work it'd go faster! Hey! Thunder Beast! Stop trying to escape!"

"No fair, Hak! I want to leave too!"

"You can try on your own."

"But I have work! Don't leave me all alone!"

"Ugh..."

"Thank you Hak~!"

"You two stop messing around and get back to work!"

"Held hostage by our own friend..."

Da-hee got impatient and knocked on the door.

"Oh! Come in~!" Yona called.

"Mother, father, Uncle Yoon, hi," Da-hee opened the door. Soo-won quickly hid behind the wall.

"Da-hee, what's wrong?"

"Um... well, my friend wants to talk to you about something. They seemed really desperate so I know you'll help."

"Friend? A court lady or something?"

"Uh... not exactly... Um... you wanted to meet them. Please come out so I don't look like an idiot..." Soo-won took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the door. He took off his hat, the only thing that concealed his identity. Yoon gasped and jumped up. Hak leaped up, grabbing the nearest object as a weapon. If he wasn't Kouka's Thunder Beast, Soo-won wouldn't have been so terrified to be threatened by an ink brush (which Hak could probably kill him with). Only Yona remained sitting, a shocked look etched in her face.

"Da-hee! Did you let him in?!" Yoon shouted, inching away from the massacre about to happen in the room.

"Yes- I mean he helped me and-"

"I told you not to go near him anymore!" Hak snapped. He took a step forward. That's when Soo-won snapped out of his trance. He got on the floor and bowed to them, surprising everybody. Finally Yona stood up.

"Yoon, bring Da-hee to her room," she said in a calm voice.

"But-"

"Please," she begged. Yoon gave in with a sigh. He walked across the room and took Da-hee's arm.

"I'm calling the others in."

"Yoon, it's alright, I would like to talk in _private_ ," she then turned to Hak. "Hak, sit down."

"Yona-"

"I said **_sit down_** ," she gave him a harsh look and he immediately sat down. Soo-won never thought he'd see Hak obey Yona with just one look. Yoon finally took Da-hee out of the room and Hak sat still, contemplating whether his anger or loyalty to Yona was stronger.

"Soo-won, why did you return?" Yona walked across the room to stand in front of Soo-won.

"I... came to ask for forgiveness."

"Forgiveness? Did you think I would forgive you after you killed my father and chased me out of the castle?"

"No... I cannot ask for forgiveness for taking over the throne. And an apology will not bring your father back. However I deeply regret the tear I caused in our friendship. You two trusted me with everything you had, yet I betrayed that trust. I don't think that you'll ever forgive me for that."

"Soo-won, look up," Yona's voice was calm and gentle. Soo-won obeyed and looked up at the current queen. Yona crouched down to his height. She stared into his eyes and him at hers. They showed no signs of anger or flame. Instead there was a gentle warmness beyond what he had seen when they were friends.

"You are forgiven," she told him kindly.

"Wha-?! Yona!" Hak protested.

"Oh hush, Hak! Soo-won, when I was younger, there were so many times that I thought I felt hatred towards you. However, I learned that it was not hatred. It was a sadness, a deep sadness. You were dear to me and I had loved you, even though I wanted to get rid of the feeling, I still loved you. Deep down I wished that our bond would mend. I think Hak felt something similar-"

"Yona-"

"But we were both so saddened by what you had done. I believe your apology is a step towards mending our former bond."

"I thought you would hate me..." Soo-won avoided those sweet eyes.

"I don't," Yona smiled. She stood up and walked back to the table. "Would you like something to drink? Yoon's wife, Jang-mi, usually brings tea over."

"Yon- I mean your majesty, I still don't understand. Why?"

"I thought I made it clear. Well Soo-won, I really think I should thank you. Although it caused so much pain, I was able to have some truly amazing experiences. I know Hak feels the same."

"No I don't."

"What?! But if we didn't leave the castle we wouldn't have met Yoon, Kija, Shin-ah, Jae-ha, and Zeno!"

"I could've done without meeting White Snake and Droopy Eyes."

"You say that, but I understand your true feelings!"

"No you don't. Do you realize how long it took for you to realize I was in love with you?" Yona blushed.

"That was in the past! I'm better at it now!"

"Oh really?"

"Really really!" Soo-won started laughing and the couple turned to stare at him.

"Oh, um, I'm very sorry for interrupting. It's just... it reminded me of the old days..." Soo-won looked away. Yona smiled.

"It's fine! Let's have tea now!"

"No, I really should get going..."

"Really? But I wanted you to meet the others..."

"No, I really shouldn't bother you to gathering them."

"It's no problem. They're right outside."

"Oh, you noticed that too?" Hak said. The door crashed down with Yoon, Zeno, and Shin-ah falling on top of Kija. Jae-ha still stood in the hall, snickering.

"Oh, um..." Soo-won looked very confused.

"Yona! How can you trust him?!" Yoon jumped up. "He used to be our enemy."

"People change, Yoon," Yona smiled. Zeno and Shin-ah got off of Kija, who immediately revived himself.

"Your majesty, I must object!" he stated.

"Kija it'll be fine," she said. "Yoon, is Jang-mi bringing tea as usual? Could you ask her to bring five more cups?"

"Yona!" Yoon protested.

"Zeno wants some tea!" he called from his spot on the floor.

"I would say have a sense of danger, but..." Jae-ha sighed. "Yona dear, is this really alright?"

"I'm telling you it's fine!"

"If the kid says so. Yoon, ask Jang-mi to bring more cups."

"Neither of us are your slaves!" he stormed off.

"He says that but..." Hak snickered.

"I still don't understand... Why are you accepting me so readily?" Soo-won spoke up.

"Not quite accepting, just following Yona dear," Jae-ha explained.

"And you were the one originally against blindly following, Droopy Eyes," Hak pointed out. Jae-ha only shrugged and laughed in response.

"Isn't this fine, fine~" Zeno grinned. "The miss had taken steps towards forgiveness a long time ago."

"However if you try to harm the queen, we will not be so forgiving," Kija added.

"Kija, it's fine," Yona laughed. "It's easier to forgive and mend a bond than to continue tearing it to shreds."

Soon Yoon and Jang-mi came in with several tea cups. The rest was history. Yona spent her time telling stories about what happened after that fateful night. She told how she met each of her companions, each one adding a tidbit of their own incite on the events. Hak teased her for missing important details and about how oblivious she used to be. Soo-won eventually joined in with his own experiences. The events that seemed so painful in the past felt only like echoes now. Looking back, everything felt so trivial.

One thing Soo-won noticed was Yona's smile. When she was with her friends, she smiled brighter than she ever did before. She had forged a family of her own and braved through everything life threw at her. That was the greatest happiness he could wish for.

* * *

"I'm sorry you have to do this," Soo-won apologized.

"It's fine, I don't have much of a choice when it comes to her," Hak sighed. He was escorting Soo-won to the palace gates as per Yona's demand.

"Being married is difficult."

"Yeah, happy wife, happy life."

The two stayed quiet the rest of the walk. Once they neared the gates, Hak finally spoke.

"I didn't say this before, but thank you for helping Da-hee."

"It's fine! Anybody would have done the same."

"Yes, but I overreacted even though you helped my daughter."

"No worries, I understand why you would react the way you did."

"Soo-won, we're really idiots, aren't we?"

"You said it," the two reached the gate.

"See you Soo-won."

"Bye Hak."


End file.
